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Valencia 2-2 real Madrid (Vinicius Junior x2). A tense tie. Here is my reaction to the match. More on the way: player ratings, post-game quotes and a podcast with Kiyan.
A trip to Mestalla was always a tense and volatile occasion for Real Madrid, but after the events of last season, it would intensify even more this time. For the first time I can remember, the team would wear last season’s away kit, as all of their current kits were considered to match the Valencia jersey. Jude Bellingham returned to his team, accompanied by Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde and Toni Kroos. Aurélien Tchouaméni took the central position ahead of Nacho Fernández. Joselu Mato returned to the bench after a timeout. Dani Carvajal took the captain’s armband in this case.
The first half started very slowly, just as Valencia would have wanted. Things took a turn when another Real Madrid Castilla footballer decided to score against his former club. Hugo Duro headed wide to Andriy Lunin to give the hosts the lead, who three minutes later would have another one. Roman Yaremchuk combined a little luck with a little skill to surprise the visitors and take a 2-0 lead seemingly out of nowhere. Madrid didn’t really get going even after that, right up until Vinícius Júnior gave them a lifeline just before half-time after Dani Carvajal’s cross cut through the crowd and found him for an easy tap-in. 2-1 at half-time.
That goal at the end of the first half was huge. It was desperately needed after a half in which everything went wrong: he struggled under Valencia’s high zonal pressure, failing to break the lines as Baraja’s men fell into a compact mid-block. Errors everywhere. Rough all around.
He…
– Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) March 2, 2024
The second half saw improvements from Madrid as Jude Bellingham forced the goalkeeper into a save in the first ten minutes. Andriy Lunin had to be on his toes to make sure his team still had a fighting chance in the future, and it would prove to be an important interaction. The next opportunity saw the next goal, when another decent cross, this time from Brahim Díaz, put the ball on a plate for Vinícius Júnior to push it with difficulty and tie it. Mouctar Diakhaby had to come off with a serious injury (quick recovery), and there would be some penalty shootout drama in extra time as Valencia were denied a penalty by VAR. Peter Federico González, on loan from Real Madrid since January, really could have taken this Castilla curse to a new level later on, but fortunately he missed the target with seconds remaining. In the end, 2-2, and another two points were lost away from home. Thoughts, Madrid fans?