10 minute strike after argument with fans


Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 8:40 PM• Mart van Mourik • Last update: 20:43

Real Madrid suffered a painful defeat in LaLiga on Sunday evening. Went to visit Valencia the Royal 1-0 down, so that Atlético Madrid has taken over second place in the ranking. Valencia climbs out of the relegation zone for the time being thanks to the three-pointer. It was an extremely unfriendly duel in the Mestalla, where supporters treated Vinícius Júnior racist and the Brazilian was sent off with a red card.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti made several changes compared to the lost Champions League game with Manchester City. At the back right, Lucas Vázquez was preferred to Dani Carvajal, while Ferland Mendy played on the opposite side instead of Eduardo Camavinga, who moved to midfield. David Alaba had to give up his place to Antonio Rüdiger in the center of the back. In addition to Camavinga, Dani Ceballos and Aurélien Tchouaméni were also posted in midfield. The danger in the front came from Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema and Vinícius Júnior.

Valencia had a vicious opening offensive and home and came dangerously close to the hostile goal via Justin Kluivert, Edinson Cavani and José Gayà, among others, although the home team lacked sharpness in the completion. After fifteen minutes of play, André Almeida also had a chance to open the score; however, his attempt was beautifully parried by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. In the 33rd minute of play it was a hit for Valencia. Kluivert had a perfect low cross on López, who scored the 1-0 from close range. The Dutchman did not receive the assist, by the way, as the ball was changed direction on the way to López.

Ten minutes after the break, the maker of the opening goal got another chance to score, but this time Courtois got in the way. In the 72nd things went wrong in the Mestalla. Vinícius Júnior was racially treated with a megaphone by the fans of Valencia, according to various Spanish media. The game came to a standstill for ten minutes and the Guardia Civil, among others, had to intervene, although it is not yet clear whether any supporters have been arrested.

After the disgusting moment it remained very restless in Valencia and the match became more unfriendly. Shortly after a goal by Kluivert was disallowed for offside, Real Madrid launched a final offensive, although the offensive intentions ultimately yielded no more goals. In the 96th minute there was another remarkable incident. Hugo Duro grabbed Vinicius by the throat, after which the Brazilian tore himself free with a savage, slashing movement. After viewing the video images, referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea decided to give Vinícius a direct red card. Hugo Duro got away with yellow. In the closing minutes, Benzema had a great chance to level the score, but he failed face to face with goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.

No. Team m W G v +/- Pnt
1 Barcelona 35 27 4 4 50 85
2 Atletico Madrid 35 22 6 7 36 72
3 RealMadrid 35 22 5 8 37 71
4 real society 35 19 8 8 15 65
5 Villarreal 35 18 6 11 18 60
6 RealBetis 35 16 8 11 5 56
7 Athletic Club 35 14 8 13 7 50
8 Girona 35 13 9 13 5 48
9 Seville 35 13 9 13 -5 48
10 Osasuna 35 13 8 14 -7 47
11 Rayo Vallecano 35 12 10 13 -5 46
12 Real Majorca 35 12 8 15 -7 44
13 valencia 35 11 7 17 -2 40
14 Almeria 35 11 6 18 -15 39
15 Celta de Vigo 35 10 9 16 -10 39
16 Cadiz 35 9 11 15 -22 38
17 Getafe 35 8 11 16 -13 35
18 Real Valladolid 35 10 5 20 -32 35
19 Espanyol 35 8 10 17 -17 34
20 Elche 35 4 8 23 -38 20