Villarreal took the victory against Real Madrid in La Cerámica (2-1) in a spectacular one-on-one match in which the locals took the lead twice on the scoreboard.
After a goalless first half, Yeremi Pino opened the scoring before two minutes into the second half and although Karim Benzema equalized with a penalty in minute 60, two minutes later Gerard Moreno, also from the penalty spot, went from new to the locals. .
The staging of Villarreal and Real Madrid was completely opposite. The locals started brilliantly against a sleepy, sluggish and outmatched rival who saw the citizens of Castellón get three good chances in just four minutes, one of them with a ball on the post after a shot from the heel of Francis Coquelin.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team practically failed to get past midfield until minute 7 of the game, but after the initial fizz from the locals, Real Madrid gradually took the pulse of the game and began stringing together longer offensive possession .
A great opportunity for Militao that he failed to take advantage of against Reina gave way to a better one for Yeremi Pino against a masterful Thibaut Courtois who decided the one-on-one with the Villarreal striker in his favour.
About half an hour into the game, Villarreal regained control, bottled up Real Madrid, who defended with everything but without losing their attacking perspective, leading to a counter-attack with Vinicius and Benzema after Juan Foyth lost the ball and only the Albiol’s good work averted greater harm to the local population.
In addition, Reina had to appear five minutes before the break to save a goal from a Vinicius shot.
A shot from Parejo that Courtois saved practically ended a first half with very intense Villarreal and very high pressure against a Real Madrid that grew into the match and eventually had chances to score.
Villarreal didn’t miss their performance in a hurry and before the two minutes were up Yeremi Pino knocked Courtois after a mistake by Mendy.
Quique Setién’s team took the lead and although Benzema had a chance to equalize on the next play, Castellón’s team’s push continued as Real Madrid looked for the equaliser.
A fine chance for Benzema against Reina ended in a penalty for Real Madrid at the hands of Foyth after a VAR warning saw the French striker convert in the 60th minute, but another penalty at the hands of Alaba restored Villarreal’s lead a minute and a half later at transforming it Gerrad Moreno.
The game became a carousel of approaches from both areas. Villarreal sought the penalty and Real Madrid the draw. Ancelotti took advantage of the speed and intensity of Rodrygo and Camavinga for the final stages of the match.
Going for the equalizer, Real Madrid took advantage of Villarreal trying to slow down the game and concentrate their efforts more on defensive duties, but without forgetting the counter-attack that allowed them to get dangerously close to the Madrid goal again.
Villarreles and Real Madrid went for goal, the former to convict and the latter to even the balance in a lively final stretch of the match, but they failed to change the score despite the cascade of chances in both goals.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
