VALENCIA (REUTERS) - Real Madrid's harrowing campaign continued as they fell to a ninth defeat in La Liga and their first since coach Zinedine Zidane returned as they were deservedly beaten 2-1 away by a resurgent Valencia on Wednesday (April 3).
Portugal international Goncalo Guedes fired Valencia into the lead in the 35th minute with a thumping shot from inside the area which was too powerful for Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Madrid had played well until conceding, but lost momentum after the goal and Valencia continued to threaten into the second half, finally doubling their lead with a header by defender Ezequiel Garay from a corner in the 83rd.
Karim Benzema headed in a consolation goal for Madrid in stoppage time, shortly after Zidane's side had a penalty decision overturned after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review ruled Sergio Ramos was offside.
Madrid are stuck in third on 57 points, 13 behind La Liga leaders Barcelona and five behind city rivals Atletico Madrid.
Valencia, who have reached the Copa del Rey final and the quarter-finals of the Europa League, have Champions League qualification in their sights after climbing up to fifth in the table on 46 points, one behind fourth-placed Getafe.
The win extended their unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions, their longest stretch without defeat in their 100-year history.
"We know that this has been a difficult year and we are working hard to make sure we come back stronger next season and I'm sure we will," Madrid midfielder Casemiro told reporters.
"We were in control for the first half then they scored and got more confident. We worked hard in the second half and tried to get back in the game but goals are what count. This defeat is difficult for us, we know we are not doing well but we must keep working."
It was Zidane's first away game since returning to the club after Santiago Solari was sacked last month, having won his first two games back against Celta Vigo and Huesca.
As he had promised ahead of the match, the Frenchman made sweeping changes from the team that had beaten Huesca, bringing back seven players including Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Navas as Isco and Gareth Bale dropped to the bench.
Madrid dominated the early stages but could not turn their possession to chances and once Valencia took the lead through Guedes they rarely looked like letting it slip.
Marcelino's side missed a gilt-edged chance to seal victory when Kevin Gameiro attempted a backheel pass towards Carlos Soler when it would have been easier to shoot at goal.
But Argentine Garay made up for his team mate's wastefulness by effectively sealing the points with a towering header from captain Dani Parejo's corner.
"I just don't think we were good enough with our movements, and the final ball at times. 2019, with the headline 'Milner wants team to deliver better final ball'.
Milner wants team to deliver better final ball - theworldnews.net
Manchester City's Sergio Aguero in frame to face Brighton in
Over the last 23 years, Chelsea have consistently signed big-name players on their way to four Premier League titles. Sportsmail looks at the 10 best and 10 worst of a big-spending era in blue.
Lions hungry for post-raya victory. The Fandi brothers are back in town to play in this weekend's Merlion Cup. The Straits Times caught up with them on their experience playing overseas, what it's
Flipboard: Lions hungry for post-raya victory
SINGAPORE - Most of his National Football Academy Under-17 team-mates were promoted to form the first batch of Young Lions in 2003, but Baihakki Khaizan was left out because he had not played much
Thank you, Baihakki! - Football Association of Singapore
Juventus achieved objective, despite everything going wrong
LIVERPOOL, England, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Liverpool rediscovered their swagger and stayed top of the Premier League with a thrilling 5-0 win over Watford that was powered by two goals apiece from
Stylish Liverpool thrash Watford to stay top | Reuters.com
We use cookies to give you the best experience on our website. They have won nine of his first 10 games in charge and have beaten Arsenal and Tottenham in that time. be the favourites
Ranking the Premier League top six's run-ins - who has the
LONDON (REUTERS) - Manchester United rolled to their 10th win in 11 games under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 3-0 win at Fulham on Saturday (Feb 9), climbing into the top four in the
Fulham vs Manchester United LIVE score - Premier League 2018/19
Football: Qatar thrash UAE amid shoe barrage to reach Asian Cup final Qatar's defender Hamid Ismeil (2nd right) celebrates their fourth goal against UAE during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup semi-final
Qatar thrash UAE amid shoe barrage to reach Asian Cup final
SINGAPORE - As he ushered in 2019 on Tuesday (Jan 1), local football starlet Ikhsan Fandi had just one New Year resolution - to earn a playing contract in Europe. On Thursday morning, just over a day after his older brother Irfan flew to join Thai League 2 club Bangkok Glass, the 19-year-old headed to Norway for a trial with Raufoss IL.
Ikhsan Fandi inks deal with Norwegian side | Goal.com
The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs developed a research agenda focused on positive youth development. Through a collaborative consensus-building process, representatives from federal agencies identified three research domains (conceptual issues, data sources and indicators, and program implementation and effectiveness) and key
20 - 24 Nov: MyFootballCamp 2017 - HYFA - ALL ABOUT CITY
Football: Zohore gives Cardiff 2-1 win over Southampton in thrilling finish Cardiff City's Kenneth Zohore celebrates scoring their second goal with team mates. PHOTO: REUTERS
Zohore gives Cardiff 2-1 win over Southampton in thrilling finish
CHAMPION Philippine club Global FC got its 2017 AFC Cup campaign to a good start, topping Myanmar's Mangwe FC, 1-0, in their opening Group F play on Tuesday night at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, something it hopes to use as a springboard to a solid bid in Asia's secondary club football tournament hosted by the Asian Football
A Midas Touch -A Singapore League Tale- - Page 6 - FM Stories
0 comments:
Post a Comment