Real Madrid fail to level with Barcelona as Valencia snatch last-minute victory
The result leaves Real Madrid three points behind Barcelona in the title race, though the gap could widen to six points if Barcelona defeat Real Betis on Saturday night.
Real Madrid's hopes of closing the gap on Barcelona at the top of La Liga were dealt a major setback as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Valencia in their MD30 clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Despite their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal on Tuesday, Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti fielded a strong line-up. Kylian Mbappe started for Los Blancos, and within the first 10 minutes, he was involved in the action. The Frenchman won a penalty after being fouled by Cesar Tarrega inside the area. Vinicius Junior was entrusted with the spot-kick, but his effort was poor and easily saved by Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Real Madrid's early setback was compounded just minutes later, when Valencia took a shock lead. Diego Lopez's expertly delivered corner found Mouctar Diakhaby, who powered a header past Fran Gonzalez, who was making his first-team debut for Real Madrid after Ancelotti chose not to risk Andriy Lunin due to a calf problem.
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Valencia held on to their 1-0 advantage until halftime, but Real Madrid responded swiftly in the second half. Five minutes after the break, Luka Modric's corner was flicked on to Vinicius, who atoned for his earlier penalty miss by stabbing the ball home from close range to bring the sides level.
From that point, Real Madrid piled on the pressure in search of a winner, but time and again they were thwarted by resolute Valencia defending and the inspired Mamardashvili, who produced a particularly remarkable save to deny Federico Valverde. Ultimately, it was Valencia who had the last laugh, as Hugo Duro's header in the dying moments of injury time (95th minute) sealed a dramatic victory for Los Che. This was Valencia's first win at the Bernabeu since 2008.
The result leaves Real Madrid three points behind Barcelona in the title race, though the gap could widen to six points if Barcelona defeat Real Betis on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the win lifts Valencia to 14th in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
