Jude Bellingham missed a penalty but scored a late winner as 10-man Real Madrid fought back in the most dramatic of fashions to beat Valencia 2-1 and return to the top of La Liga. Luka Modrić's 85th minute equaliser and Bellingham's stoppage time winner on Friday ensured Madrid avoided back-to-back defeats in La Liga for the first time since 2019. The win took them to 43 points, two above city rivals Atletico, albeit having played a game more.
The match at the Mestalla pitted second from bottom against second from top and it was the struggling home side who took the lead after 27 minutes. Hugo Duro stabbed the ball into the empty net after it came back off the post. Madrid came into the game more in the second half but it looked like it would be a frustrating night for the capital club.
Kylian Mbappé won a penalty after 55 minutes but Bellingham's shot hit the post and moments later the Frenchman himself saw a goal disallowed after a video review. Things got worse for Real with 11 minutes remaining when Vinicius Jr. pushed goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski and the referee, after a long video review, showed the Brazilian a red card.
However, Real were never out of it and Carlo Ancelotti's late changes turned the game around. Modrić came on in the 80th and it took the 39-year-old Croatian just five minutes to make his mark, dancing through a sea of defenders and poking home the equaliser. Even with a man less there was a sense of inevitability as Real pushed for a winner, and.
