Real Madrid beat Valencia 2-1 in a fiercely contested game as they hold on to the La Liga title race. Marcelo’s late goal proved to be the difference between the two sides after Cristiano Ronaldo’s header was cancelled by a brilliant free kick from Dani Parejo. The game was looked forward to as Valencia had beaten Real 2-1 in the reverse fixture and the former were involved in two title tilts in the recent season. Los Blancos held on to their nerves and managed to get the better of their rivals in the dying minutes of the game.
Los Blancos almost found themselves a goal down within the first minute with Santi Mina hitting the post. Madrid settled into the game with Ronaldo opening the scoring with a header from Carvajal’s cross. Real could’ve extended their lead but Benzema hit the post and Ronaldo missed a penalty, which could’ve been proven to be costly, had it not been for an Unlikely hero. Parejo’s brilliant free kick in the 82nd minute increased the pressure on the Galacticos as a draw and a Barcelona win would’ve seen them 2 points behind the Catalans. The Unlikely hero who rose to the occasion was Marcelo as he shot the ball low into the net in the 86th minute which gave his team the much needed 3 points.
With this result Zinedine Zidane’s mens are in a strong position to win the league title and can focus on their upcoming Champions League fixture against local rivals Atletico Madrid. It also puts the onus on Barcelona to win their remaining league matches to have a chance at the title if Real falls short.
