Real Madrid vs Villarreal Review
Real Madrid maintained their unbeaten streak in La Liga, reaching 29 games, by beating Villarreal 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Their impressive 36-game unbeaten run across all competitions was snapped by Lille in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, prompting Carlo Ancelotti to seek a quick response against Villarreal.
The Yellow Submarine had a strong start to the season and entered the match just one point behind Los Blancos after eight games. It was evident that this match would be challenging, as Kylian Mbappé and Nicolas Pépé both missed opportunities in the early moments.
It took the hosts just under 15 minutes to score first, thanks to Federico Valverde, who sent a shot from outside the box through a crowd of players past Diego Conde into the net. Villarreal nearly equalized shortly after with a header from Pépé that hit the crossbar. As the match went on, the visitors started to find their rhythm, managing to navigate through the Madrid press, but aside from another shot from Pépé that Andriy Lunin saved easily, they didn’t pose much of a threat to level the score before halftime.
The beginning of the second half was marked by high intensity from both teams, but there were few scoring opportunities, with Álex Baena’s free-kick hitting the side netting being the closest either team came to scoring. The pivotal moment of the match came midway through the half from Vinícius Júnior. Demonstrating his status as one of the top players in the world, the Brazilian struck a powerful shot from the edge of the box that hit the post and went in, leaving goalkeeper Conde with no chance.
This goal effectively sealed the match, temporarily putting Ancelotti’s team on equal points with league leaders and rivals Barcelona, who are set to play Deportivo Alavés on Sunday. The only downside was a concerning injury to Dani Carvajal in stoppage time, and it remains uncertain how long he will be sidelined, though his tears indicate it may be serious. Villarreal, on the other hand, experienced their first away defeat in La Liga this season.
