🇪🇸 Real Madrid move top despite Vini red card in Valencia thriller

Real Madrid moved top of La Liga in their first game of 2025 after a 2-1 win over Valencia on Friday, but all attention will be on Vinícius Júnior moving forward.

Scorer: Duro 27'; Modric 85', Bellingham 90+5'

Instead of Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham running the show, the man of the night was initially Thibaut Courtois as the hosts put five efforts on target in the first half alone.

However, the goalkeeper couldn't handle an awkward deflection and the ball fell to a lurking Hugo Duro at the back post, who made no mistake to smash home the opener.

Coming out after the break, the visitors ramped up the pressure and saw two potential equalisers go wasted. Jude Bellingham's penalty effort hit off the right post before a potential goal from Kylian Mbappé was ruled offside.

Then, in the dying moments, things turned worse for Madrid as Vinicius and goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski got into a tussle.

VAR asked for a review of the incident, and the Brazilian's decision to react and hit the North Macedonian in the face resulted in a red card. It is the second time Vinícius Júnior was shown red at the Mestalla.

Valencia would have thought the man advantage helped them move toward securing all three points, but then the big guns finally turned up.

Minutes after entering the pitch, Luka Modrić set up a play and moved into the box before waltzing home the equaliser as the stadium fell silent. Then, with mere minutes to go, Madrid stole all three points.

A mistake and slip from Hugo Guillamón gifted the ball to a lurking Bellingham who chipped Dimitrievski for the winner. Los Blancos now hold a two-point lead at the top over Atlético de Madrid.

📸 Aitor Alcalde - 2024 Getty Images