Real Madrid extended their lead atop the La Liga table to 7 points(8 over Barca who haven’t played) yesterday as they handed a 4-0 thrashing to Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu to continue their imperious form since the 5-2 horror show vs Atletico Madrid. Goals from Jude Bellingham, Alvaro Carreras and a brace for Kylian Mbappe sealed the comfortable victory for Los Blancos.
Xabi Alonso made one change from the El Clasico win last week with Franco Mastantuono coming back into the XI in place of Eduardo Camavinga. Carlos Corberan meanwhile brought in Baptiste Santamaria to replace Javi Guerra in his single change from the 2-0 loss to Villarreal in their last La Liga match.
From minute 1, Real Madrid asserted their dominance at the Santiago Bernabéu against a Valencia side that struggled to cope with the hosts’ attacking power. The match was briefly halted in the 2nd minute due to an injury scare for Real Madrid’s Arda Güler. However, the action quickly resumed with Madrid controlling the pace.
The opening exchanges saw early chances for the home side, though Valencia’s goalkeeper, Julen Agirrezabala, proved crucial. In the 4th minute, Kylian Mbappé’s shot was blocked. Two minutes later, Federico Valverde attempted an audacious volley after a corner was cleared, firing just wide of the left post with the outside of his boot. Agirrezabala made his presence felt early, saving a shot from Vinícius Júnior in the 9th minute, and then again in the 14th minute, denying a left-footed shot from Jude Bellingham.
The intense pressure from Madrid eventually led to the breakthrough. In the 15th minute, Real Madrid was awarded a penalty via VAR for a handball by Valencia defender César Tárrega. Kylian Mbappé stepped up and coolly converted the penalty in the 19th minute, putting Madrid ahead 1-0. The goal only fueled the league leaders, who continued to probe the Valencia defence. Agirrezabala was forced into another great save in the 29th minute, keeping out another right-footed shot from Federico Valverde.
The second goal arrived shortly thereafter in the 31st minute, as Kylian Mbappé scored his second of the night, volleying home a cross from Arda Güler who himself had been found beautifully by Jude Bellingham, at the far post to make it 2-0. Aurélien Tchouaméni was the first player to be cautioned, receiving a yellow card for a bad foul in the 37th minute.
The end of the first half was a whirlwind of action, Madrid were awarded a second penalty in the 41st minute after Thierry Correia who had been having a torrid night, fouled Álvaro Carreras. This time, Vinícius Júnior took the spot-kick, but Valencia’s hero Julen Agirrezabala produced a great save to deny him and he managed another great save on the rebound from an Arda Güler shot. Despite the penalty miss, Real Madrid added a third goal just a minute later in the 44th minute, with Jude Bellingham making it three consecutive matches with a goal after curling a shot from outside the box into the bottom corner after sending Lucas Beltran to the shops after he was found by a magnificent long ball from Federico Valverde. Madrid took a comfortable 3-0 lead into half time.
Valencia made a half-time substitution, with André Almeida replacing Lucas Beltrán. With a dominant 3-0 lead, Real Madrid also made strategic changes at the start of the second half to rest key players and manage the game. In the 46th minute, Dani Ceballos replaced Arda Güler, and Eduardo Camavinga replaced the booked Aurélien Tchouaméni. Valencia then made more substitutions in the 55th minute, bringing on Jesús Vázquez, Eray Cömert, and Hugo Duro for Thierry Correia, Diego López, and Luis Rioja.
The pace slowed considerably, though Agirrezabala remained busy. In the 61st minute, the Valencia keeper produced another great save, denying a close-range shot from Kylian Mbappé. Three minutes later, Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was called into action for the first time in the match to make a great save from a rare Valencia attack, keeping out a left-footed piledriver from André Almeida. Madrid made another change in the 68th minute as Raúl Asencio replaced Dean Huijsen.
The home side continued to generate attempts, but lacked the first-half intensity. Eduardo Camavinga had a wayward shot in the 76th minute, firing high from outside the box. With the match winding down, Xabi Alonso made a double attacking change in the 79th minute, Endrick replaced Kylian Mbappé for his first minutes of the season, and Rodrygo replaced Vinícius Júnior.
The best goal of the night came shortly after the substitutions in the 82nd minute. Álvaro Carreras scored a stunning fourth goal, unleashing a powerful left-footed shot from a tight angle into the top right corner, making the score 4-0. Valencia’s final substitution came in the 87th minute as Javi Guerra replaced Pepelu. Guerra’s first contribution was to immediately earn a yellow card in the 88th minute for a bad foul on Endrick.
In the final moments of stoppage time, Valencia nearly grabbed a consolation goal when Guerra struck a shot that hit the left post, but the ball rebounded to safety, confirming a comprehensive 4-0 victory for Real Madrid.
