Villarreal 2-3 Real Madrid: Last gasp Alvaro Morata header keeps Los Blancos top of La Liga
Real Madrid scored three goals in 19 minutes to over-turn a 2-0 deficit against Villarreal and go back to the top of La Liga.
Barcelona had overtaken them in their afternoon kick-off against Atletico Madrid but Barça’s gain was wiped out just five hours later by a Real Madrid team who dozed through the first hour of this match, conceding twice, but still won with Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata all scoring.
Manu Trigueros scored the first goal of the game on 50 minutes and it was no more than Villarreal deserved.
Samu Castillejos is a featherweight forward but he still overpowered Marcelo at the back post to head down towards Tirgueros who lashed his shot past Keylor Navas before Sergio Ramos – who was the closest defender to him – could react.
Madrid fans might have thought it would be a wake-up call but Zinedine Zidanes’s side kept on snoozing and when Bruno threaded the ball through to Cedric Bakumbu he ran clear of Ramos and curled his shot around Navas and inside the post to make it 2-0.
Zidane sent on Isco and he got Madrid moving down the right in a move that ended with a Bale cross and a Ronaldo volley that came back off the post – a reaction at last, but would it be too late?
It was September, 14 2013 when Bale scored on his debut on this ground. He’s won two Champions League since and they’ve changed the name of the Stadium but just as with three years ago he converted from close range for his team – this time powering Dani Carvajal’s cross with a fine header.
Then came a moment of controversy, and the equaliser. Bruno handled in the area but it looked completely unintentional as the ball bounced off a team-mate in a crowded penalty box.
La Liga rule changes at the start of the season made it clear that if the ball hits a player having cannoned off another player then it's not a penalty. Fran Escriba was furious on the bench and the Villarreal coach was sent off before Ronaldo slammed in the spot-kick – his 57th penalty in the league. No one has scored more in the history of the competition.
Villarreal looked broken. They had worked so hard to get two goals in front but then frozen at the prospect of beating Real Madrid.
They were in Europa League action in midweek but rested the entire team because they were already all-but out of the competition at the hands of Roma, so there was no real excuse. Now they were playing if they had all walked back from Rome.
Madrid in contrast were full of life and pushed for the winner.
It came on 83 minutes when Isco and Toni Kroos won the ball in midfield, Marcelo charged down the left and crossed for substitute Alvaro Morata to nod past Aitor Fernandez.
The substitute goalkeeper could have done better, allowing the ball to squirm under his dive on the line. This game might have gone differently had Villarreal not lost keeper Sergio Asenjo in the first half.
No goalkeeper has conceded fewer goals in the Spanish first division this season coming into the game but Asenjo is also the most injury-prone keeper in Spain and he needed treatment after making a fine block from a Benzema chance.
At first he looked fit to carry on but the keeper went to ground again moments later and had to be replaced ten minutes before the break. Three torn cruciate ligament injuries in his career have made the Spain international more cautious than most keepers and he was taken to hospital for tests with Fernandez coming on.
With Fernandez on Villarreal still got themselves two goals in front but it was like poking the beast with a stick. Madrid reacted and with three second half goals turned the game on its head and moved back to the top of La Liga.
