Vinicius Junior was red-carded for shoving Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski during a dramatic come-from-behind victory for Real Madrid at Estadio de Mestalla to secure top spot in LaLiga. The Brazilian star, who was crowned the best player in the world by FIFA but finished second to Rodri in the Ballon d’Or race, was mired in controversy in his second match back at Valencia since he was a victim of racist abuse from fans back in May of 2023.
The sending off was somehow the cherry on top of a wild match as the Spanish giants scored two late, improbable goals to seal a 2-1 victory thanks to a Jude Bellingham winner in the 95th minute of play.
In the first match coached under Carlos Corberan as the club tries to ward off relegation, Valencia took the lead via Hugo Duro in the first half and went into defensive mode. Real Madrid were wasteful with their chances as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. both trended toward the left side of the pitch keeping the middle free and easy to defend for Valencia. They were gifted a chance as Mbappe was chopped down in the box, but Bellingham’s penalty take, which featured an awkward hop in the run-in, crashed off the post, which ignited the controversy in this match.
Not only was there a question of encroachment with Valencia players in the box as Bellingham took his penalty, but the Valencia keeper seemed to be off his line as well, which would have been grounds for a retake. But that never came. The woes grew for Real Madrid when Mbappe had the ball in the net, only for it to be ruled offside in a tight decision. The yellow cards started flying as Valencia dug in while Real Madrid searched for an equalizer.
Vini Jr. lost his cool after being baited by Dimitrievski when he was on the ground on the box and responded by making contact with the keeper’s face while pushing him. After the incident was recommended for a VAR review, Vini Jr. was sent off for violent conduct.
After the match, the Real Madrid winger took to social media to issue an apology to his teammates. “Sorry, and thanks, team,” Vini said.
For the third consecutive meeting at the Mestalla, a Real Madrid player was sent off by a referee. Bellingham was sent off last season after what he thought was a winning goal was ruled out. And of couse, in May of 2023, Vini Jr. was dismissed deep into stoppage time after being subjected to racial abuse. That incident led to three Valencia fans receiving eight-month prison sentences after pleading guilty to racially insulting the Brazillian.
|
GOALS |
0 |
2 |
|
SHOTS ON TARGET |
3 |
2 |
|
xG |
1.7 |
0.9 |
This is a trip that’s becoming an increasingly tense affair for Real Madrid, but thanks to Valencia’s mistakes, they were able to leave with all three points despite the setback. Luka Modric entered in the 80th minute before being assisted by Bellingham in the 85th minute before the eventual winner.
Taking advantage of an unfortunate Hugo Guillamon backpass, Bellingham intercepted it and put it into the back of the net for all three points. This is a match that doesn’t dismiss Los Blancos’ lack of balance in attack but it does show their fight when it matters. They could’ve resigned to the loss when going down to 10 but instead exploded with Bellingham turning into the hero following his missed penalty. It’s times like this which show that Real can never be counted out of the race for silverware but they’ll also need Vini Jr. at his best in order to secure it.
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