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José Manuel Andrés
Madrid
Sábado, 25 de enero 2025, 23:15
Football, the most unpredictable sport, fulfilled expectations at José Zorrilla with a comfortable victory for Real Madrid, who strengthened their lead due to a prior draw between Atlético and Villarreal, against bottom-placed Valladolid. The white team didn't even need to exert themselves to overcome the minimal resistance of a struggling opponent, toppled by Mbappé's first hat-trick for Madrid, finally reconciled with the decisive version that made him a long-standing object of desire for Madrid fans.
The Frenchman has been scoring goals lately, but beyond adding three more to his league tally, now at 15, just one behind top scorer Lewandowski, the match in Pucela confirmed the consolidation of a partnership with Bellingham that promises many rewards. Both combined with skill and dismantled the strategy of an opponent at the opposite end of the spectrum, whose resistance lasted only a moment.
Valladolid
Hein, Luis Pérez, Javi Sánchez, David Torres, Lucas Rosa, Anuar, Mario Martín, Amallah, Iván Sánchez (Kike Pérez, min. 62), Marcos André (Latasa, min. 79) and Sylla (Chuki, min 86).
0
-
3
Real Madrid
Courtois, Asencio (Alaba, min. 68), Tchouaméni, Rüdiger, Fran García, Ceballos (Modric, min. 68), Valverde (Loren Aguado, min. 92), Brahim, Bellingham, Rodrygo (Güler, min. 73) and Mbappé (Endrick, min. 92).
Goals 0-1: min. 30, Mbappé. 0-2: min. 57, Mbappé. 0-3: min. 93, Mbappé, penalty.
Referee Busquets Ferrer (Balearic Committee). Booked Amallah, Bellingham, Ceballos, and Mbappé. Sent off Mario Martín with a second yellow, min. 90.
Incidents Matchday 21 of the League played at José Zorrilla in front of 26,025 spectators.
And to think it all began with a crucial save by Courtois, splendid in his reflexes against David Torres' near-post header. Such a start, which promised excitement later diluted by Madrid's clear superiority, did not unsettle a very patient Real Madrid in their build-up play, almost indifferent at times. They needed an extra gear to break the Pucela defensive setup with Bellingham, the key man between the lines, seemingly under control. Thus, with Valladolid withdrawn, the match became stuck, monotonous in the white team's insistence on playing through the middle.
Madrid struggled to find chances while their opponent came close with a much simpler move, a long-range shot from Sylla that troubled Courtois. Rüdiger took note of the basic formula, with another very long shot that took a deflection and led to a corner from which Ancelotti's team warned with a slightly high header from Tchouaméni. After these early warnings, Madrid eventually found the gap in a much more elaborate way, through a fantastic one-two between Bellingham, the opener, and the unleashed Mbappé, with a trademark supersonic finish.
The goal emphasized the league leader's comfort in dominating the match at will. The game was played on the bottom team's front line, haunted by the ghosts of a turbulent situation on and off the pitch, with the threat of coach Diego Cocca's resignation and the deep discontent of the stands over Ronaldo's poor management throughout his tenure at the club.
Given the match dynamics, and despite the feeling that Madrid hadn't needed to step up at any point, the best news for Valladolid was reaching halftime with only a minimal disadvantage, leaving the match open.
The initial surge from Valladolid after the break, driven by courage and necessity, confirmed that the match was still alive if Madrid fell into the trap of complacency. This doubt was swiftly dispelled by Mbappé's second goal. Ceballos launched the counterattack, and Rodrygo drove and assisted the Frenchman, who did the rest by placing his shot against the post to secure the victory that consolidated Madrid's leadership.
With everything resolved, as neither Madrid wanted to inflict damage nor Valladolid had any argument for rebellion, the last half hour became the perfect staging of a non-aggression pact, only challenged by Mario Martín's penalty on Bellingham. From the penalty spot, Mbappé sealed his first hat-trick as a Real Madrid player and moved just one goal behind Lewandowski in the race for the Pichichi.
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