Real Madrid started the new year with a difficult 2:1 victory over Valencia at "Mestalla", sportal.bg reported.
"The White Ballet" was losing in the score after a goal by Hugo Duro in the 27th minute, but managed to make a turnaround with goals by Luka Modric in the 85th minute and Jude Bellingham in the 96th minute. Madrid fans even did this with a man less, after Vinicius Junior was sent off in the 79th minute for a kick in the face of goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski. Before that, the guests also missed a penalty through Bellingham in the 55th minute, and in the 60th minute, Kylian Mbappe's goal was canceled for offside. Overall, the match was quite tense, and the reason for this was the controversial decisions of the referee Cesar Soto Grado to the detriment of both teams.
The new coach of the hosts Carlos Corberan relied on Hugo Duro and André Almeida in attack in this match. Luis Rioja and Diego Lopez started on both wings, and the supporting midfielders were Enzo Barrenechea and Javi Guerra.
Carlo Ancelotti came out with Kylian Mbappe in the forward positions and Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo behind him. Federico Valverde and Dani Ceballos partnered in the middle of the field.
The guests created the first goal danger of the match. In the 5th minute, Kylian Mbappe shot from close range and goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski was lucky that the ball was within his reach and managed to save.
However, Valencia responded appropriately and two minutes later had two great opportunities. First, Hugo Duro shot hard from close range and Thibaut Courtois saved, then Andre Almeida headed a shot, but it was too weak and went straight into the hands of the Belgian goalkeeper.
In the 13th minute, another chance for the "bats" followed. Dimitri Fulkier was brought into the penalty area and shot from a small angle, but Thibaut Courtois was again careful and saved.
Ten minutes later, Hugo Duro got involved very well on the left flank and broke through to the touchline, but his attempt to pass parallel to the goal line was blocked by Thibaut Courtois, who came out and caught the ball.
In the 26th minute, a poorly cleared ball fell to Jude Bellingham on the edge of the penalty area, but his shot was rather disappointing over the goal.
A minute later, however, Valencia opened the scoring. Fulkier crossed for Javi Guerra, who shot from the move and Thibaut Courtois made another brilliant save. However, the ball went to the feet of Hugo Duro, who was left to score into the empty net. However, doubts remained about a foul during the attack.
In the 35th minute, Vinicius Junior collapsed in the penalty area after a collision with Cesar Tarrega, but the referee decided that there were no grounds for a penalty, and subsequently showed the Brazilian a yellow card for his protests.
In the 38th minute, Federico Valverde attempted a long-range shot that was not far from the target.
In the 43rd minute, Vinicius Junior slipped behind the defense and shot, but Stole Dimitrievski was careful and made a confident save.
In the added time of the first half, Real had a chance to execute a free kick from a good position, but Federico Valverde was not particularly accurate and sent the ball high over the goal.
In the 53rd minute, Kylian Mbappe invaded the penalty area and collapsed after a collision with Cesar Tarrega. Although the situation was shoulder to shoulder, the referee pointed to the white spot, and VAR confirmed his decision. Jude Bellingham took the penalty and shot the ball into the post. However, there were reasons for controversy here too, as replays showed that before the Englishman's shot, Valencia players entered the penalty area, which should have been noticed by the referees and the penalty should have been awarded.
In the 60th minute, it seemed that the score would still be equalized, but it would not. Jude Bellingham, with a great pass, brought Kylian Mbappe behind the defense, he feinted the goalkeeper and scored, but it turned out that he was offside and the goal was disallowed.
In the 67th minute, Rodrigo was released to shoot with his head near the goal, but he failed to find the outline.
In the 77th minute, another difficult decision came for the referee. Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski shoved Vinicius in the back, who did not reciprocate and punched him in the face. After a VAR review, the referee gave a yellow card to the North Macedonian and a red card to the Brazilian, further unnerving the situation on the pitch.
Even with a man less, Real Madrid managed to equalize in the 85th minute. Luka Modric was brought into the penalty area at speed and he coolly converted for 1:1.
In the 96th minute of the match, a blunder in the home team's defense allowed Jude Bellingham to steal the ball and convert for 1:2.
In the 100th minute, luck was not on the side of the "bats" after a powerful shot by Luis Rioja bounced off the crossbar.
So Real Madrid broke the tradition of recent years and this time started 2025 with a victory. "The White Ballet" collected an asset of 43 points and topped the standings, ahead of Atletico Madrid with 41, but also a game less. Valencia, on the other hand, continued its bad streak of six consecutive matches without a win and remains in the danger zone in 19th place with 12 points.