Real Madrid scored three goals in the second half to overcome Real Valladolid on Sunday afternoon.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side were denied a winning start to the new La Liga season when they were held to a draw at Real Mallorca last weekend, but they did the job at home to claim victory this time around.
Valladolid defended incredibly well for about an hour of the game, but couldn’t maintain that solidity when it came to scoring.
How the game developed
Kylian Mbappe went close to the first The League goal on nine minutes when he unleashed a fierce volley towards the net, but Karl Hein, on loan from Arsenal, pulled off a fantastic save.
This was the only chance in a quiet first half in which Valladolid defended superbly and prevented their hosts from embarking on many meaningful attacks.
But Valladolid’s resistance was broken shortly after the break. Vinicius Junior won a free-kick just outside the penalty area, and Federico Valverde’s finish deflected off Hein and into the far corner.
Madrid He almost doubled his lead instantly with a quick break minutes later, with Arda Guler and Vinicius bringing possession up the pitch before the Turkish star’s shot was blocked by Enzo Boyomo.
Valladolid, meanwhile, tried to claw their way back into the competition. Víctor Meseguer managed to deflect off Eder Militao after his initial shot was blocked, before being thwarted by Thibaut Courtois’ box.
Another shot from Guler was coming and going as Vinicius again took it out with a low cross, and this time his shot on goal bounced behind for a corner. Soon after, he had a rebound shot off a Fran Garcia ball that Hein had.
The Valladolid keeper was again made to work for Guler when his shot from inside the box took a sting on Boyomo’s ankle, although he was able to move his feet and deny the Madrid man.
Mbappe should have scored his first home goal for Madrid when Vinicius saw his run into the six-yard box but he was denied by a smart save from Hein. The Frenchman then fired back from a corner before curling his shot wide with his final contribution of the day.
With two minutes to go, Madrid finally added their second goal. A phenomenal long pass from Militao went over the Valladolid defense and found Brahim Diaz, who sent Hein in with a superb half-volley.
There was still time for Madrid to score again, with Brahim this time turning provider for debutant Endrick, who beat Hein at the near post with a powerful low drive.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – 6/10 – Predictably, he didn’t have much to do between the sticks, but he made no mistake when called upon.
RB: Dani Carvajal – 6/10 – He has had a penchant for grabbing the headlines with his own performances in recent months, so this was a more low-key display by Carvajal’s standards. There is nothing to yell or scream at either end.
CB: Eder Militao – 7/10 – He made a sensational assist for Brahim at the end of the day. Relatively quiet in the back.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 6/10 – He continued to try to unlock Valladolid with his excellent range of passing, notably creating the first chance of the game for Mbappé.
LB: Fran Garcia – 6/10 – He flew down the left trying to attack space, especially when Valladolid were chasing a goal.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10 – He kept things simple in the middle of the park, which suited Madrid better as the game progressed and found the opening goal.
CM: Federico Valverde – 8/10 – A comprehensive performance in the middle of the field and beyond. He broke up Valladolid’s attacks before they could start and knocked Madrid out with a goal.
RW: Rodrygo – 5/10 – He had some great skill here and there, but his end product was sorely lacking. He wasn’t on the same wavelength as his fellow strikers.
AM: Arda Guler – 7/10 – A good performance in the hole. Struggled to manipulate space in the first half but took control after the break until his substitution. Another day he would have had a goal to his name.
LW: Vinicius Junior – 7/10 – He was stifled early on, but stretched the match with his pace and guile. He will feel aggrieved that he did not register a contribution to the goal.
CF: Kylian Mbappe – 6/10 – Madrid’s attacking problems in the early gates were not to do with Mbappé, who brought Valladolid close with his clever move. He should have scored at least one of his chances and his wait for a goal in La Liga continues.
Substitutes
SUB: Brahim Diaz (69′ for Guler) – 8/10 – A goal and an assist from the bench. It’s not bad.
SUB: Luka Modric (69′ for Rodrygo) – 6/10
SUB: Dani Ceballos (85′ for Vinicius) – 6/10
SUB: Endrick (86′ for Mbappe) – 8/10
Unused substitutes: Andriy Lunin (GK), Fran Gonzalez (GK), Lucas Vazquez, Jacobo Ramon
manager
Carlo Ancelotti – 8/10 – Madrid overcame first-half woes and deserved their wide margin of victory at full-time.
