Real Madrid almost paid dearly for their 'nap'
A goal by Carvajal in the 100th minute overturns a 0-2 deficit for bottom team UD Almería in a match where the VAR went against them
MADRID, 21 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid added three difficult points this Sunday after coming back and beating UD Almería 3-2, the bottom of LaLiga EA Sports 2023-2024, which was ahead 0-2 at the Santiago Bernabéu and ended up falling in the minute 100 with a goal from Dani Carvajal, who decided a match marked by video refereeing, which smiled on the Madrid team in three key decisions.
Carlo Ancelotti's team needed a victory to put the defeat in the cup derby behind them, but they fell asleep and were about to pay for it. A horrible first half condemned him to build a good deficit before the break and he achieved it because the Italian coach reacted with changes that woke up his team.
However, in the midst of a moment in which the club is questioning the refereeing, this time the VAR where Alejandro Hernández Hernández was present was vital in their new epic comeback. Three times Francisco José Hernández Maeso went to the monitor in three plays almost in a row and all of them were crosses for the Almería team, harshly punished when he almost had the consolation of at least one point in hand.
Real Madrid did not face the duel as they had to. His first 45 minutes were the worst in a long time and this time he did not find the help of a bottom player, denied all season and who found himself in a practically unthinkable situation when he reached half-time with a two-goal lead and with Maximiano without having had to carry out any intervention.
The Madrid team was narcissistic and forgot that in football superiority and difference in the table is always theoretical. Before the first minute they were already losing, after another defensive concession that Ramazani did not forgive against Kepa Arrizabalaga, the starter this time in the goal debate. However, that blow did not make him wake up or accelerate, thinking that it would be enough to play too slowly against the nine men that Gaizka Garitano placed.
Only Vinícius Jr wanted to add some speed to the local game, but the Brazilian's continuous overflows never found a finisher, either due to the poor positioning of his teammates or due to the winger's lack of skill. The Bernabéu stands, seeing the panorama, gave a warning to their team with the first whistle after a 'boy of the house' like Sergio Arribas failed to hit a shot in the center of the area.
In fact, Real Madrid's best chance was an attempted cut by Chumi on Carvajal's center that ended up giving Maximiano a scare. In this scenario, Carlo Ancelotti's team, which had no solutions with possession and only gave some hint of being able to do something when it stole, ended up complicating things. An erratic clearance by Nacho was 'hunted' by Edgar, a central defender who was out of place, in a tremendous volley to make it 0-2 on the stroke of half-time and unleash the anger of the local public.
Nacho, Mendy and Rodrygo paid the price in a triple change that Ancelotti made in search of getting out of the 'nightmare'. Real Madrid did come out with the ambition that the comeback required and managed to get into the game early with a penalty scored by Bellingham and after Hernández Maeso went to the monitor to see Kaiky's hand in a jump with Rüdiger possibly also fouling .
Shortly after, the bottom player warned that he was not 'dead' and a very well executed counterattack by Arribas silenced the Bernabéu. But the monitor was once again adverse to the interests of the Andalusian team and annulled that oxygen balloon due to a previous slap from Lopy in the face of Bellingham. It would not take long for Hernández Maeso to return to the monitor, again with a favorable decision for the Madrid team by granting as valid the goal that had previously been disallowed by Vinícius because he considered that he had finished with his arm and not with his shoulder.
The bottom player had lost his loot and probably still had to resist the local momentum for half an hour or more. Maximiano saved the 3-2 with a great start against Vinícius and Bellingham was close to snatching the goal of the day award from Édgar with a bicycle kick that went close to the post. With Real Madrid launched, the added time gave eleven minutes and the locals found the saving goal with a cross cross that Bellingham headed and 'hunted' Carvajal's faith at the far post.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: REAL MADRID, 3 – UD ALMERÍA, 2 (0-1, at half-time).
–ALIGNMENTS.
REAL MADRID: Kepa; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Nacho (Brahim, min.46), Mendy (Fran García, min.46); Valverde (Ceballos, min.70), Tchouaméni, Valverde, Kroos (Camavinga, min.83), Bellingham; Rodrygo (Joselu, min.46) and Vinícius.
UD ALMERIA: Maximian; Pubil (Well, min.70), Kaiky, Edgar, Chumi, Akieme; Up (Embark, min.78), Lopy, Robertone (Melero, min.85); Ramazani (Lazaro, min.78) and Milovanovic (Luis Suarez, min.70).
–GOALS.
0-1, minute 1. Ramazani.
0-2, minute 43. Edgar.
1-2, minute 57. Bellingham, de penalti.
2-2, minute 69. Vinícius.
3-2, minute 99. Carvajal.
–REFEREE: Hernández Maeso (C.Extremeño). He cautioned Camavinga (min.98), Carvajal (min.100) and Bellingham (min.101); for Real Madrid, and Ramazani (min.52), Lopy (min.64), Pozo (min.75), Édgar (min.84) and Luis Suárez (min.101), for UD Almería. He sent off UD Almería coach Gaizka Garitano in the 97th minute for a double warning.
–Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.