Adiós, international break. Hola,
La Liga! Coming back into the
swing of things, Real Madrid maintained their status as número uno of the Primera Division, earning three points, with a
3-2 victory over Valencia at the Mestalla, but victory hardly came as easy. Real Madrid not only dealt with a formidable
opponent but a hostile reception from the home crowd as well, as expected being
the visiting team. Furthermore, a
few incidents during international break left question marks as to whether Álvaro
Arbeloa and Cristiano Ronaldo would be included in Madrid's lineup against
Valencia. However, question marks
were soon dashed with both men stepping foot on pitch.
The first half remained lackadaisical, with only two bookings and a goal from Karim Benzema in the 19th minute, giving Madrid a lead as they moved into half-time. But that is not to negate the greatness of Benzema's goal. Midfielder Xabi Alonso delivered a long pass to the French striker, who controlled the ball very quickly and finished with a left foot kick, sending it past Valencia keeper, Diego Alves.
Whatever was said in the locker rooms during the fifteen-minute descanso must have lit a fire under both teams, the second half fraught with a rainstorm of yellows and heavy challenges from both sides. Valencia's game after half time proved to be more aggressive, making trouble for los Blancos. Madrid lost control of ball and game in the first few minutes, the game losing its flow. Both teams wavered in discipline, which resulted in a sloppy mess. In a span of ten minutes, referee José Antonio Teixeira Vitienes dished out five yellows – four belonging to Madrid.
The
stop-start nature interrupted game flow and proved to be frustrating,
especially with Valencia looking closer to a tie, but things began to pick up
again with Mesut Özil's corner.
Özil crossed the ball and Madrid scored its second with a Sergio Ramos
header. This goal would be the
defender's first goal this season, which called for a celebration with the
entire team, including manager José "Poker Face" Mourinho.
Valencia
did not go down without a fight.
Striker Roberto Soldado netted the ball four minutes after Ramos's goal,
Valencia's first in the evening.
Iker Casillas had prevented a very clear shot for Valencia, only for the
ball to go to Soldado, who shot a volley that could not be stopped at the goal
line. Madrid reacted with a
counterattack, resulting in Madrid's third goal of the evening by none other
than Cristiano Ronaldo, giving his team a comfortable 1-3 lead. However, Los Che stood ground and Soldado scored for the second time that
evening with Pablo Hernández with the assist at the 82nd mark.
The
last few minutes of the match were difficult for Madrid. Soldado managed to score a third goal,
which was disallowed, much to the relief of Madridistas everywhere. Casillas reflexes put to test with
attempt after attempt on Valencia's side, particularly by Artiz Aduriz, but
true to his moniker of San Iker, he saved every one, even with four-minutes of
added time.
This
was a very important win for los Blancos. Mourinho now prepares his team for
their upcoming CL match against Dinamo Zagreb this Tuesday at the
Bernabéu. With that said, ¡Hala Madrid!
By: Gail Hidalgo
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