Real Madrid 2-3 Villarreal: Ancelotti’s side stunned late by Chukwueze’s brace
Real Madrid’s faint La Liga title hopes were dealt a huge blow as Samuel Chukwueze’s stunning strike secured victory for Villarreal at the Bernabeu.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team twice went ahead but with Karim Benzema taken off on the hour to rest ahead of that Champions League quarter-final first leg, Villrreal were stronger to the finish and deserved their three points.
Madrid now trail leaders Barcelona by 12 points and that gap will open up further if they beat Girona on Monday.
Vinicius Jnr scored a brilliant individual goal in the five goal thriller but he was outdone by Villarreal’s Nigerian winger Samu Chukwueze who scored an even better winner.
Vinicius’ goal was Madrid’s second just after the restart and it was as good as any he has scored this season. He was surrounded by four Villarreal players when he received Dani Ceballos’ pass on the edge of the area but he drove through them nutmegging the back- pedaling Aisa Mandi before finishing past Pepe Reina.
Madrid had taken the lead after 15 minutes when Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres put past his own keeper. Vinicius and Marco Asensio created the opening carving the visitors open down their left and when the Spaniard crossed it was turned into the empty net an unfortunate touch off of Torres thigh.
Madrid pressed to double their lead and Pepe Reina saved well first from Benzema and then from Rodrygo Goes.
Villarreal were beginning to show their teeth however. Chukwueze, Alex Baena and Giovani Lo Celso all went close with shots and when the equalizer came they were all involved.
Lo Celso swapped passes with Baena and when the Argentine put Chukwueze through there were a couple of shoulder drops to send first Nacho and then Courtois the wrong way before he finished to make it 1-1.
There were seven shots on target in the first half and five of them were for Villarreal so it was no more than Quique Setien’s team deserved.
It was just three minutes after the restart that Vinicius put Real Madrid ahead but Villarreal weren’t out of it and when Courtois raced out of his goal to block Alfonso Pedraza’s shot the goal was empty but Yeremy Pino shot wide.
Carlo Ancelotti had taken Benzema off on the hour ten minutes later Villarreal were back on terms.
Jose Luis Morales had come on and he would get the equalizer with 20 minutes left turning in Chukwueze’s cross after Manu Trigueros had held the ball up. The goal was wrongly ruled out for offside against the Nigerian winger but VAR corrected the mistake.
Chukwueze hadn’t finished and when he cut in from right to curl a glorious left foot shot past Courtois it was every bit as good a goal as Vinicius and threatened to be more decisive.
Madrid sensed another dramatic comeback and they were awarded a spotkick when Mandi was adjudged to have handled while on the ground in the penalty area.
There was a four minute delay while referee Javier Alberola Rojas checked and decided that the ball came back off of the defender’s chest.
Madrid’s best chance to equalize came seven minutes into injury time when Vinicus ran into substitute Alberto Moreno but from the edge of the area Asensio sent his free-kick over the top.
