Gerard Moreno powers Villareal to 2-1 win over Real Madrid
Jan 08, 2023
Villarreal [Spain], January 8 : Villarreal defeated Real Madrid 2-1, with a goal and an assist from Gerard Moreno, giving Barcelona, who are currently leading LaLiga, a chance to overtake them in the fight for the championship.
After the first half, Yeremy Pino gave Villarreal the lead until Karim Benzema's penalty gave Real the lead in the 60th minute. However, the tie lasted just three minutes as Moreno also scored from the spot to give Villarreal the victory.
Real remain in second place and are tied with Barca for the lead with 38 points when they play Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Villarreal has moved up to sixth after their third straight league victory.
Arnaut Danjuma, the Villareal substitute missed an open goal with his attempt from the halfway line as Courtois was left stranded deep in the opponent's territory after stepping up for a corner. This missed opportunity cost Villarreal the victory.
Ancelotti, the head coach of Real Madrid, said that his team had been absolutely dominated.
"We couldn't play at their level. We were bad, especially in defence. We tried to create but we were too open in midfield. We should have done more. We were bad, especially in defence. We tried to create but we were too open in midfield. We should have done more," said Ancelotti as quoted by Sky Sports.
Real Madrid were unable to find the second goal at the Estadio de la Ceramica in a match that was played at a very fast pace and in which all the goals came in the second half and thus succumbed to a 2-1 loss.
