Real Madrid showcased their dominance at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, cruising past Villarreal with a resounding 2-0 victory in their La Liga encounter. The match was a testament to Real’s attacking prowess, with goals from Federico Valverde and Vinicius Jr securing the three points.
Valverde opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a spectacular long-range strike. His powerful shot, following a Luka Modric corner, took a wicked deflection off Villarreal’s Alex Baena, leaving goalkeeper Diego Conde helpless.
The second half saw Villarreal press for an equalizer, but Real Madrid remained resilient. A penalty appeal by the visitors early in the half was denied, as Thierno Barry was ruled offside when Aurelien Tchouameni fouled him.
Vinicius Jr then sealed the win with an absolute thunderbolt in the 73rd minute. The Brazilian forward unleashed a rocket from outside the box, sending the ball curling into the top corner with unstoppable precision.
However, the night took a sour turn for Real as Dani Carvajal, their Spanish right-back, was stretchered off in the dying minutes of the match with a worrying knee injury. Carvajal, who was named in the Euro 2024 winning squad, collided with Villarreal’s Yeremy Pino and was visibly in pain.
Despite the injury, Real Madrid maintained their position as the La Liga runners-up, level on points with Barcelona, who face Alaves on Sunday. Villarreal, on the other hand, remain in third place with 17 points from their nine matches.
