Vinicius Jr Archives

Vinicius hits winner as Real Madrid eliminate Benfica after racism row

Vinicius Junior scored the winner on the night as Real Madrid beat Benfica 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, progressing 3-1 on aggregate to the last 16.

It was the Brazilian forward’s superb goal which separated the teams in a first leg marred by an incident of alleged racial abuse aimed at him by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who denies it.

Jose Mourinho’s side were still alive in the play-off round tie and took the lead early on at the Santiago Bernabeu through Rafa Silva, although Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni swiftly levelled.

Benfica gave the record 15-time champions a rough ride, but fittingly, Vinicius, who never hides from the spotlight, scored on 80 minutes to effectively end the contest.

“That is our Vinicius,” Tchouameni proudly told Movistar after the Brazilian’s winner. “To be honest, we didn’t start the game very well, but we kept our confidence.”

It was Portuguese coach Mourinho’s first time back at the Santiago Bernabeu since he coached Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, but he could not lead his team from the dugout because of a suspension.

After a week dominated by the fallout from the first leg, Vinicius lined up for Real Madrid alongside Gonzalo Garcia, who stepped in for the injured French superstar Kylian Mbappe.

“(Vini) had a great game,” Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told Movistar. “Unbalancing them, scoring, creating a lot of danger every time he took them on.”

Benfica were without banned midfielder Prestianni, after an appeal against his provisional one-game sanction was turned down earlier on Wednesday, with UEFA still investigating the incident.

Madrid hung a large banner reading “no to racism” at one end, with the game played under the shadow of what happened last week in Lisbon.

There were boos for Vinicius from the visiting Benfica fans, and he prodded wide in the early stages, appealing in vain for a penalty as Nicolas Otamendi collided with him after he got his shot away.

Benfica took a deserved lead in the 14th minute as Madrid defender Raul Asencio clumsily turned the ball towards his own goal.

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Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois kept the ball out, but Silva was on hand to bundle home from close range.

Stung into action, Madrid pulled level two minutes later through Tchouameni. The French midfielder finished with aplomb from the edge of the box from rampaging team-mate Federico Valverde’s cross.

Madrid thought they had gone ahead on the night when Arda Guler stabbed home a loose ball after Garcia’s shot was blocked, but the Spanish striker had edged offside, and it was disallowed after a VAR review.

Courtois made a fine save from Richard Rios before the break, as Benfica turned up the pressure.

Silva hit the bar with a deflected effort before the hour mark as Mourinho’s side at times pinned back the hosts.

Madrid were dealt a setback as Asencio was forced off on a stretcher after colliding with Eduardo Camavinga.

“It’s his neck, but it doesn’t seem like it will be that bad,” said Arbeloa, who confirmed the defender was being taken to the hospital for tests.

It had to be Vinicius who settled the tie, though, and Valverde played him scuttling through on goal, with the Brazilian calmly rolling a low shot past goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.

Vinicius produced another celebratory dance by the corner flag, as he had done in the first leg in the run-up to the flashpoint with Prestianni, and to the chagrin of Mourinho.

“I’m happy that Vini’s dancing, still dancing, because it means he’s scoring goals,” said Courtois.

This time, the 25-year-old just had thousands of jubilant fans jumping up and down before him, and his goal confirmed Madrid’s passage to the last 16.

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Mbappe, Vinicius help Real Madrid thrash Monaco in Champions League

Kylian Mbappe struck twice against his former side Monaco as Real Madrid romped to an emphatic 6-1 Champions League victory on Tuesday to ease tensions around the club.

Vinicius Junior, who was jeered by his own fans during a home win over Levante last weekend, also shone and scored a brilliant goal as Madrid strengthened their bid to claim a top-eight finish in the league phase.

New coach Alvaro Arbeloa secured a second win at the helm after replacing Xabi Alonso last week, with his team producing a dazzling attacking display to help fans forget recent disappointments.

Jude Bellingham and Franco Mastantuono were also on target for Los Blancos, and Thilo Kehrer bundled a Vinicius cross into his own net as Madrid delivered perhaps their best performance of the season.

“The players won this game, with their effort and their quality,” Arbeloa told Movistar, after the record 15-time champions moved provisionally second in the league phase table.

“I loved their attitude and their quality, this mentality and ambition are what all Madrid fans want to see.”

There were still a few boos for Vinicius at the start, but they dried as he reminded Madrid’s fans how good he can be.

“The last few days have been very complicated, for all of us, but above all for me because of the whistles, and everyone speaking about me,” said Vinicius.

“I try to give everything for this shirt and for the club who have given me so much.”

Mbappe has been in superb form even as Madrid have struggled and stretched his lead at the top of the European goalscoring charts with his 10th and 11th goals to give his team a commanding lead.

After missing the Copa del Rey humiliation by Albacete in Arbeloa’s disastrous first game, Mbappe has netted in the next two matches.

It took just five minutes for the French superstar to open the scoring, slotting home from just inside the area after Fede Valverde knocked on Mastantuono’s cut-back.

After celebrating with his team-mates, Mbappe apologised to the visiting supporters, having first emerged into the world’s spotlight while at Monaco.

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Ansu Fati, on loan at Monaco from Madrid’s rivals Barcelona, came close before Arbeloa’s side struck again.

They launched a devastating counter-attack, with Eduardo Camavinga’s clever flick to Arda Guler sparking the move. Guler found Vinicius, who span the ball across for Mbappe, just onside, to tuck home.

Despite being shredded defensively, Monaco offered some attacking threat, and Jordan Teze hit the crossbar with a well-guided long-range effort.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also made a couple of solid saves before the break, with Madrid’s third coming shortly after the action resumed.

Vinicius, heavily involved, unselfishly teed up former River Plate playmaker Mastantuono, who swept home.

After 55 minutes, Madrid had four, with Kehrer turning Vinicius’s raking low cross into his own net as Monaco crumbled.

Arbeloa has only had words of praise for Vinicius since taking over, and the forward rewarded his coach with a hug after ramming in the fifth.

Vinicius fired into the top corner past helpless goalkeeper Philipp Kohn for only his second goal in his last 19 matches for the club.

“This is my Vinicius,” said Real midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. “When we play well, the people who come here are very happy. Today was a very good night here in the Bernabeu.”

Teze pulled one back for Monaco after a mistake by Dani Ceballos, before Madrid struck again to round off the rout.

Bellingham rounded the goalkeeper to net in the 80th minute after Dean Huijsen cleverly dummied Valverde’s pass.

The England international celebrated by chugging several imaginary drinks, an apparent riposte to claims he is fond of the nightlife in Spain, while Madrid’s heavy win offered their own response to the turbulent period they are in.

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Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. in the clear over El Clasico outburst

Vinicius Jr. will face no disciplinary action for his El Clasico substitution outburst, Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso revealed on Friday.

The Brazilian remonstrated with Alonso and marched off down the tunnel after he was hauled off in the 72nd minute in last weekend’s tense 2-1 win over Madrid’s arch-rivals, Barcelona.

The 25-year-old player issued an apology to Real fans, his teammates, the club and president Florentino Perez — but pointedly not to Alonso — in midweek.

But the Real manager assured Vinicius the affair was “over”.

He told a press conference on the eve of Valencia’s visit in La Liga: “On Wednesday, we had a meeting with all the staff, players, and Vinicius gave an impeccable speech.

“He spoke sincerely, from the heart. For me, this matter has been closed since Wednesday.”

Alonso said there would be no “reprisals” against the Brazilian forward.

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He added, “We are all in the same boat and rowing in the same direction. I think the whole team is focused on the field, which is the most important thing.”

“We are competitors, all players want to be on the pitch, and that’s a good thing. Now, we want to keep moving forward towards our goals, one match at a time.”

The Vinicius flashpoint comes with negotiations ongoing over a new contract, although his current deal does not expire until 2027.

He has weighed in with five goals this season in La Liga, although he has been replaced as the main man in the Real squad by Kylian Mbappe, with the Frenchman on 16 goals in 13 appearances in all competitions so far, after scoring 44 in all competitions in his first season at the club.

Real Madrid sit at the top of La Liga on 27 points, five clear of Barcelona, and hosts struggling Valencia on Saturday.

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Vinicius stars as Real Madrid ease into Club World Cup last 16

Vinicius Junior scored one goal and made another with a touch of class as Real Madrid sealed their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup with a 3-0 win over Salzburg on Thursday.

The Brazil star opened the scoring after a superb defence-splitting pass by Jude Bellingham on 40 minutes and then set up Federico Valverde for the all-important second goal in first-half stoppage time.

Gonzalo Garcia wrapped up the win late on with his second goal of the tournament, and the result means Xabi Alonso’s team end the first round of FIFA’s new tournament unbeaten.

They go through to the knockout stage as Group H winners on seven points, setting up a last-16 tie against Juventus in Miami on Tuesday.

Salzburg go out as Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia progress in second place behind Real after defeating already eliminated Pachuca of Mexico 2-0 in Nashville.

They will face Manchester City in the last 16.

Real Madrid are adjusting in the United States to life under new coach Alonso and were again without top scorer Kylian Mbappe, with the Frenchman thus far not having played at the Club World Cup as he recovers from illness.

But there was still plenty of star appeal for the 64,811 fans who filled Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia almost to capacity; they reserved their loudest cheers for Bellingham, and spirits were not dampened by wet, fresh conditions as the blistering heatwave of recent days suddenly lifted.

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Alonso opted, as during his time in charge of Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, for a back three with Aurelien Tchouameni in between Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia played as wing-backs.

Real Madrid won 5-1 when the teams met in the Champions League in January, with Vinicius scoring twice, and the Brazilian was again heavily involved in putting the Austrian team to the sword here.

He was denied by goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky when clean through on 20 minutes, but made up for that by getting the breakthrough as the interval approached.

The goal owed much to a fantastic pass by Bellingham, which found Vinicius in between the two Salzburg centre-backs. He held off two chasing defenders and scored with an early left-foot shot low into the corner.

It was the 22nd goal of the season in all competitions and one that delighted those backing Real in the crowd.

Petar Ratkov had a chance for Salzburg after Arda Guler was dispossessed just outside his own area, but Real scored again to make it 2-0 almost on the half-time whistle.

When a rather aimless pass forward by Guler was deflected by Salzburg’s Mamady Diambou, Vinicius pounced on the loose ball and continued into the area before producing a clever back-heel to set up Valverde for the goal.

Salzburg now needed a favour from Al Hilal to stay in the competition, although they did continue to make a fight of it and had chances to reduce the deficit in the second half.

Nevertheless, they were picked off on the counter as Madrid got their third with six minutes of the 90 remaining.

A ball forward by Alexander-Arnold should have been cut out by Joane Gadou, but the young defender’s touch was intercepted by Gonzalo Garcia, and the young forward ran through before clipping a shot beyond the goalkeeper.

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Real Madrid boycott Ballon d’Or over perceived Vinicius Jr snub

Real Madrid said they will boycott the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday as they are convinced that their striker Vinicius Jr, the bookmakers’ favourite to win the men’s award, has been snubbed.

The club told AFP it questioned the methods behind the selection of the Ballon d’Or winner, saying that their defender Dani Carvajal, another of the 30 players nominated, had also been unfairly overlooked.

Carvajal scored the opening goal in the 2024 Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund and Brazilian Vinicius rounded off the 2-0 win at Wembley with the second goal.

The Ballon d’Or is awarded by a jury of journalists representing the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings.

“If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner,” Real Madrid told AFP.

“As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.”

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The Ballon d’Or organisers decided to innovate this year by keeping the winner’s identity a secret until the very end, to avoid any leaks to the press and all the nominees were invited to Monday’s ceremony in the French capital.

In previous years, the winner was revealed a few days before the awards ceremony.

In response to Real Madrid’s boycott — which was announced as the nominees were gathering for the glitzy ceremony at a Paris theatre — the organisers insisted that “no player or club” knew in advance who has won the award.

“All the clubs and players are in the same boat,” a Ballon d’Or source told AFP.

The absence of the Real players and the club’s declaration suggest that neither Vinicius, Carvajal nor English midfielder Jude Bellingham, the architects of the club’s Champions League triumph, will win the trophy.

That could leave the way clear for Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri, who was voted Euro 2024’s player of the tournament after inspiring his country to victory in Germany in July.

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Vinicius Jr hopes Spain lose 2030 World Cup hosting rights

Brazilian footballer Vinicius Jr, who represents Real Madrid in the Spanish league La Liga, has expressed his desire for Spain to be ripped off the hosting rights for the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2030 if the country does not evolve from racism.

Vinicius has faced racism abuses on numerous occasions during his time at Madrid with the latest coming in March this year during his side’s La Liga clash against Valencia.

The Brazilian forward was subjected to racist chanting from the crowd at the Mestalla stadium and was sent off in the final minutes of the game following an altercation with Valencia player Hugo Duro.

“The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racists,” Vinicius Jr wrote on Instagram.

Meanwhile, in his recent interview with CNN, Vinicius emphasized the need for a shift in Spain towards racism.

“Until 2030, there is a lot of room for improvement, so I hope that Spain can evolve and understand how serious it is to insult someone because of the colour of their skin,” the 24-year-old striker said.

“If by 2030 things don’t improve, I think we have to move the location because if a player doesn’t feel comfortable and safe playing in a country where they can suffer racism, it’s a bit difficult.”

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Vinicius Jr’s remarks regarding Spain caused an uproar in the country while his Real Madrid teammate Dani Carvajal was among the notable figures to debunk his allegations and stressed that Spain should not be deprived of hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030.

“Spain is in no way a racist country,” Carvajal told a news conference on Wednesday, adding Spain “does not deserve to be deprived of the World Cup”.

“I know what Vinicius has to put up with but La Liga is improving and protocols are being drawn up so that these people can no longer take part in sporting events,” the defender said.

Spain national team coach Luis de la Fuente backed Carvajal’s remarks.

“There are always undesirables but Spain is not racist, it is an example of coexistence and integration,” he said.

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Real Madrid file complaint after latest racist insults towards Vinicius Jr

Spanish club Real Madrid announced Friday that it had filed a complaint regarding the racist insults made against Vinicius Jr before Atletico Madrid and Barcelona’s midweek Champions League matches.

“Real Madrid C. F. has filed a complaint with the Official State Prosecutor over hate and discrimination offences pertaining to the racist and hateful abuse aimed at our player Vinicius Junior,” said the club in an official announcement.

“Real Madrid condemns these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hate… which have sadly been a recurrent and ongoing concern for some time.”

The complaint comes in the wake of videos on social media showing racist chants aimed at Vinicius Jr by Atletico Madrid fans outside the Metropolitano Stadium before Wednesday’s Champions League match against Inter Milan.

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On Thursday, the 23-year-old called on the Champions League and European football’s governing body UEFA to take action against the supporters.

“It’s a sad reality that happens even during matches where I am not present,” Vinicius added in the message posted on X.

Real Madrid allege that similar abuse could also be heard “in the areas surrounding the Montjuic Olympic Stadium” ahead of Barcelona’s home Champions League tie with Napoli on Tuesday.

The club said that it had requested security footage from the two locations be assessed in order to identify the perpetrators.

Vinicius Jr has faced racial abuse since he joined Real in 2018, with the latest incident coming shortly after a different video appeared to show a fan making racist insults towards Vinicius during a match against Valencia on March 3.

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Vinicius Jr’s double helps Real Madrid draw against Valencia

VALENCIA: Vinicius Junior scored a brace to help Real Madrid make a comeback and register a 2-2 draw against Valencia in the ongoing La Liga 2023-24 at Mestalla Stadium on Saturday.

La Liga leaders Real Madrid entered the Mestella Stadium with a 20-match undefeated streak in the league, which is their best-undefeated run since a 23-match streak in 2011-12.

However, they were caught off-guard by the Valencia attack in the first half as Roman Yaremchuk created a chance in the 11th minute.

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They did not take long and earned the advantage with a header from the centre of the box by Hugo Duro in the 27th minute.

Yaremchuk doubled the lead three minutes later as he took advantage of a miscommunication between Dani Carvajal and Andriy Lunin. He netted the empty net to make it 2-0, much to the frustration of the table-toppers.

The home team was poised to go into half-time with a 2-0 lead, however, Vinicius Jr. rained on their parade, scoring a brilliant goal at the stroke of half-time.

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Vinicius found a cross from Brahim Diaz and scored a brilliant header from a close range to level the score in the 76th minute.

In other La Liga clashes, Getafe and Las Palmas settled for a 3-3 stalemate at Estadio Coliseum, while Rayo Vallecano drew 1-1 with Cadiz at Estadio Coliseum.

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Rodrygo’s brace sends Real Madrid at the top of La Liga

Rodrygo sent Real Madrid provisionally to the top of the La Liga points table with two goals in a comfortable 3-0 win at Cadiz on Sunday.

The Brazilian winger also set up a goal for La Liga’s top scorer Jude Bellingham, who now has 11 to his name this season in the Spanish top flight.

Real Madrid climbed a point clear of high-flying Girona, who host Athletic Bilbao on Monday in their pursuit to reclaim the top spot.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side also rose four points clear of fourth-placed rivals Barcelona, following their 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, and third-placed Atletico Madrid.

Madrid were dealt severe blows over the past fortnight with Vinicius Junior and Eduardo Camavinga suffering long-term injuries, joining Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao and Aurelien Tchouameni on the sidelines.

Despite that, Madrid secured a straightforward victory which is not something they take for granted after the international break, and less so with an injury-ravaged squad.

“Sometimes difficulty is just more motivation and the players understood that very well,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“All the absences that we have are important players, but we managed it well and the team was very good out there.”

The Italian coach started Toni Kroos in defensive midfield and brought veteran playmaker Luka Modric into the team for only his fifth start in La Liga this season.

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Bellingham also returned after missing two league games and England’s Euro qualifiers with a shoulder injury.

Madrid dominated the opening stages and took the lead after 14 minutes when Rodrygo dribbled across the penalty area and curled a sumptuous strike into the top right corner.

The Brazilian struggled for goals at the start of the season but Ancelotti kept faith in him and with Vinicius sidelined, he will be crucial for Madrid in the coming weeks.

Rodrygo’s goals mean he has scored in three consecutive games for the first time since arriving at the club in 2019.

“Rodrygo is back — he made the difference today,” said Ancelotti.

Cadiz had their chances in an open first half too, with Chris Ramos heading over before Rodrygo’s opener and Andriy Lunin tipping Roger Marti’s fierce effort to safety.

Madrid should have doubled their lead early in the second half after Rodrygo dribbled around Cadiz goalkeeper Conan Ledesma, but Joselu left it to him to finish, and he in turn left it for the veteran striker, with the ball running out of play.

However Rodrygo had his second soon enough, another fine strike after dribbling into the box from 30 yards out.

After Maxi Gomez missed a fine chance for the hosts, the inspired Rodrygo set up the third for Bellingham and the England international drilled a tidy low finish across goal with his left foot.

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With the job done, Ancelotti withdrew both goalscorers and handed young forward Gonzalo Garcia his debut.

“I’m grateful and happy, since I was little I’ve been a Real Madrid fan and I’ve dreamed of playing with the first team,” Garcia, 19, told Real Madrid TV.

“I’ll keep the shirt and I’ll ask my team-mates to sign it.”

The only negative note for Madrid was Modric going off with what Ancelotti said was a “muscle overload”.

Madrid host Napoli on Wednesday in the Champions League having already qualified from the group but looking to seal the top spot.

Earlier Sunday, Marcelino Garcia Toral enjoyed a comfortable win on his return to La Liga management with Villarreal, with Jose Luis Morales’ hat-trick sinking Osasuna 3-1.

Real Sociedad, fifth, earned a 2-1 win at Sevilla, who had Sergio Ramos and Jesus Navas sent off.

Veteran defender Ramos’s dismissal was the 29th red card of his career and a record-extending 21st in La Liga.

Willian Jose’s goal helped Real Betis, seventh, edge Las Palmas 1-0 to pull level with Athletic Bilbao, sixth, on 24 points.

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La Liga: Vinicius and Rodrygo help Real Madrid dismantle sorry Valencia

Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo struck twice each as Real Madrid thrashed Valencia 5-1 on Saturday to stay hot on the heels of shock La Liga leaders Girona.

Dani Carvajal opened the scoring for Los Blancos before the Brazilian duo took the reins as they romped to victory, to trail Girona by two points after they won 2-1 at Rayo Vallecano.

Madrid were without key player Jude Bellingham, watching on from a box at the Santiago Bernabeu alongside his mother after he suffered a shoulder injury last weekend from which he has not fully recovered.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said it was his team’s finest performance of the ongoing La Liga campaign to date.

“It was the best game, Valencia were not able to show their best level because we played very well,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“In the last two matches we’ve been a complete team, playing good football, with quality, sacrifice, commitment, we’ve done well.”

Vinicius, who toyed with Valencia’s defence, was facing them for the first time since he was racially abused in the east coast club’s stadium in May, sparking worldwide outrage.

Rodrygo set up his Brazilian compatriot’s goals before scoring two himself on a superb night for a duo who had struggled for form until this week.

“Now we are in our best moment (of the season),” Rodrygo told Real Madrid TV.

“We are back to being the Rodry and Vini that the fans want to see… if they are happy then I am happy too.”

Spain’s top scorer with 10 league goals, Bellingham’s absence increased worries about Madrid’s attacking prowess, but they were rapidly quelled.

Carvajal dispelled doubts with a superb left-foot strike from outside the area in the third minute.

Andriy Lunin, starting in goal again for Madrid after Kepa Arrizabalaga joined Thibaut Courtois on the sidelines, denied Valencia forward Hugo Duro twice in the early stages with fine stops at the other end.

Then Vinicius and Rodrygo lit up the Bernabeu.

Vinicius extended Real Madrid’s lead with a unique strike, diving to chest the ball home after Rodrygo fizzed a low cross into the box for him.

He grabbed his second soon after the break, beating Giorgi Mamardashvili at the near post from outside the box.

The Valencia goalkeeper erred badly almost immediately after to hand Madrid their fourth on a plate, passing the ball straight to Rodrygo, who stroked home.

Rodrygo and Vinicius stepped up again in Bellingham’s absence, as they did in midweek when he was benched against Braga.

Rodrygo jinked into the area and finished well for Madrid’s fifth, before Duro grabbed a consolation at the third time of asking for Valencia.

Madrid’s win stopped Girona from escaping the chasing pack.

“Girona are doing very well, better than the other teams,” added Ancelotti.

“They don’t have any European competition, obviously they are an opponent who can fight for the title, I have no doubt about that.”

Girona came from behind to beat Rayo and keep the pressure on Spain’s traditional giants in the ongoing season of La Liga.

Artem Dovbyk and Savinho fired the Catalan minnows to an impressive victory in the capital which leaves them seven points above Barcelona, third, who host Alaves Sunday.

Girona, only in the top flight for the fourth season in their history, have played the best football in La Liga this season and gave another example of it against Rayo.

“The team does not give up, when we’re behind on the scoreboard we play even better. I’m happy to keep going, up there at the top,” Girona captain and playmaker Aleix Garcia told Movistar.

The hosts took the lead after five minutes when a Girona clearance struck Rayo’s Isi Palazon and fell into Alvaro Garcia’s path in the area, and he fired into the far corner.

However, Michel’s side dominated the coach’s former team and it was no surprise when Dovbyk levelled with his seventh league goal of the season.

Girona winger Savinho sent the visitors ahead in the 65th minute, netting the rebound after Rayo goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski brilliantly blocked Dovbyk’s effort.

The Catalan team started the ongoing La Liga season with the objective of staying up, but have raised their ambitions after 11 wins from 13 games.

“We have to be realistic, we’re not only thinking about survival now, I think the team can do a lot more,” added Garcia.

“We want to keep dreaming… what will come, will come.”

Elsewhere Real Sociedad earned a 3-1 win at winless, bottom-of-the-table Almeria to move sixth.

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