Brazilian forward duo Rodrygo and Vinicius each scored a brace, propelling Real to a 5-1 victory over Valencia in the 13th round of La Liga.
Injured since the 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano on November 5, Jude Bellingham sat out the win against Braga 3-0 in the Champions League midweek and continued to be unavailable for the Valencia match yesterday. In addition to the English midfielder, Real was also without Arda Guler, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos, Eder Militao, and Thibaut Courtois due to injuries, while Antonio Rudiger was suspended.
Therefore, coach Carlo Ancelotti continued to deploy Brahim Diaz as an attacking midfielder behind the duo of Rodrygo and Vinicius. Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos, and Eduardo Camavinga formed the midfield trio, with Luka Modric on the bench.
Despite not fielding their strongest lineup, Real played vibrantly at the Bernabeu. The royal team controlled the ball 56% and had 16 shots with seven on target compared to Valencia’s 10 shots with four on target.
In the 3rd minute, from Toni Kroos’s long pass, Dani Carvajal controlled with his right foot, causing Jose Luis Gaya to slip, and then volleyed with his left foot from outside the penalty area to beat goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in the near corner. Excluding free-kicks, Carvajal became the first Real defender to score from outside the penalty area at the Bernabeu in La Liga since Marcelo in the match against Valladolid in October 2009.
In the 42nd minute, Rodrygo broke down the right flank and delivered a cross for Vinicius to chest and double the lead. In the second half, the Brazilian forward completed his brace with a solo run, dribbling from the center of the field to the edge of the penalty area before shooting into the near corner to beat Mamardashvili. Vinicius has scored six goals in nine La Liga matches against Valencia, equaling Levante’s six goals in seven matches. This is the 23-year-old striker’s best scoring record against an opponent in La Liga.
After Vinicius’s goal, Valencia passed the ball back to Mamardashvili. The Georgian goalkeeper made a passing error, allowing Rodrygo to intercept in front of the penalty area and then place a right-footed shot to make it 4-0.
In the 84th minute, the Brazilian forward completed his brace with a dribble to eliminate compatriot Gabriel Paulista and then a left-footed shot across the goal to beat Mamardashvili. As a result, Rodrygo became the first player to contribute to four goals in a La Liga match this season, providing two assists for Vinicius and scoring two goals.
Despite subsequent efforts, Valencia could only pull one goal back through Hugo Duro. With a 5-1 victory, Real continues to stand second in La Liga with 32 points, trailing Girona – who won 2-1 against Rayo Vallecano in an early match – by two points. Barcelona is third with 27 points and will face Alaves today.
Starting lineup:
Real: Lunin, Mendy (Garcia 71), Nacho, Alaba, Carvajal (Martinez 82), Camavinga, Kroos, Valverde (Modric 60), Diaz (Vazquez 71), Vinicius (Joselu 82), Rodrygo.
Valencia: Mamardashvili, Gaya (Gasiorowski 55), Paulista, Mosquera, Correia (Foulquier 55), Pepelu (Yaremchuk 70), Guerra, Lopez, Canos (Guillamon 64), Perez (Gonzalez 70), Duro.
