Sports Desk
MADRID: Real Madrid cruised to a 2-nil victory over Valencia at the Bernabeu in La Liga, cutting Barcelona’s lead at the top to five points.
The host team took the lead in the 52nd minute through a stunning left-footed strike from Marco Asensio. Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr celebrated his 200th appearance for the club by scoring the side’s second goal just two minutes later.
However, the visitors faced a significant setback when they lost one of their players after Gabriel Paulista was shown a straight red card in the 72nd minute for a dangerous tackle on Vinicius Jr. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Valencia fought until the end.
In the first half, Antonio Rudiger thought he had scored the opening goal after heading home from Luka Modric’s cross. But, the goal was ruled out after a video assistant referee intervention for a foul by Karim Benzema on Yunus Musah in the box.
In the 60th minute, Real Madrid substituted Benzema, who was seen walking off the pitch holding the back of his thigh. The injury to the 35-year-old French forward raised some concern, but manager Carlo Ancelotti reassured fans that the injury was “very light”.
Real Madrid to travel to Liverpool on Feb 21
Real Madrid will be traveling to Liverpool on the 21st of February for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Ancelotti stated that the frequent matches with limited time for recovery is what contributes to these light injuries.”
