Jude Bellingham made amends for missing a penalty by leading 10-man Real Madrid to a 2-1 victory at Valencia on Friday, propelling them to the top of La Liga after winger Vinicius Junior was sent red. Huro Duro put the hosts ahead in the first half of a tense match, but Luka Modric equalized for Carlo Ancelotti’s team before Bellingham scored in stoppage time. Vinicius, who clashed with Valencia fans who racially harassed him at the same stadium in 2022, was sent off after shoving Los Che goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski in the back of the neck with just over 10 minutes left. Madrid was losing at the moment, but Bellingham set up veteran player Modric to equalize in the 85th minute, sparking an incredible comeback.
Bellingham made an incredible effort. Bellingham scored in the 96th minute following a Valencia defensive error, putting Madrid two points ahead of Atletico Madrid despite having played one more game. “(Bellingham had a) great game, he didn’t dip after the missed penalty, it gave him extra motivation,” Ancelotti told the BBC.
Valencia, ranked 19th, appointed Carlos Corberan to replace head coach Ruben Baraja during the winter break, poaching the Spaniard from English Championship club West Bromwich Albion.
The hosts made a good start, stifling Madrid’s star-studded onslaught before breaking the deadlock after 27 minutes.
Dimitri Foulquier played the ball back to Javi Guerra, whose shot was brilliantly stopped by Thibaut Courtois, but Duro converted the rebound into an empty net.
‘Thanks, team.’
Mbappe was kept quiet in the first half, but a burst of speed in behind early in the second won Madrid a penalty after Tarrega was ruled to have taken him down.
Bellingham was charged with dispatching the spot kick, but he hopped immediately before hitting the ball and skidded.
Replays indicated Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski was off his line when the penalty was taken, but it was not spotted by the officials. Mbappe, who missed two penalties for Madrid before Christmas himself, thought he had pulled Los Blancos level when he skipped around Dimitrievski and tucked home, but he was fractionally offside. Madrid were reduced to 10 men when Vinicius shoved Dimitrievski in the back of the neck after Valencia’s goalkeeper had pushed him, after the Brazilian hit the deck under a fair challenge in the box. Despite their numerical disadvantage Madrid pulled level when Bellingham nudged the ball through for substitute Modric, 39, to stab home.
The former Borussia Dortmund player scored when Foulquier’s errant pass placed teammate Hugo Guillamon under pressure, and Bellingham raced on to his attempted back pass to finish with style. It was his sixth goal in his previous seven appearances across all competitions, and Bellingham demonstrated the goalscoring prowess that helped him become an instant success with Madrid last season. “Sorry and thanks team,” Vinicius wrote on social media platform X after his colleagues spared his blushes. In the 100th minute, Valencia’s Luis Rioja hit the post with a powerful long-range shot, inches from snatching a last-gasp draw for his team.
Valencia, who have not won a La Liga game since November, are four points from safety. “I don’t care (about scoring), the important thing was the three points and we didn’t get them,” said Duro, who scored the goals. “I hope I don’t score a single goal in the rest of the season and we win the rest of our games 1-0 with an own goal.”