January 06,(THEWILL) – Real Madrid’s poor defending cost them a chance to move to the top of La Liga as they lost 2-1 to Villarreal on Saturday.
The match started off chaotic, with Villarreal threatening early on and Real Madrid’s defence struggling. Thibaut Courtois had to make a save to deny Yeremy Pino in a one-on-one situation. But, Pino was not to be denied. His goal for Villarreal came after a mistake from Ferland Mendy led to a deflected shot from Courtois.
Benzema had a chance to equalize, but his shot was cleared off the line by Juan Foyth. However, a handball from Foyth resulted in a penalty for Real Madrid, which Benzema converted to level the score.
Two minutes later, Foyth made up for his mistake by setting up Gerard Moreno for the winning goal from the penalty spot. Real Madrid tried to find an equalizer, but Villarreal had the better chances in the latter stages of the match, with Arnaut Danjuma narrowly missing a shot on an empty net.
In the end, Villarreal held on for a deserved victory. In their upcoming game on the road against Celta Vigo next Friday, Villarreal will be attempting to make it four straight LaLiga victories. On Wednesday, Madrid will play in its next match against Valencia in the Super Cup.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
