3 POINTS AS REAL MADRID THRASH VALENCIA 4-1

 

How satisfying it is to go to sleep knowing that your team absolutely smashed it's opponent. I'd say it's the best feeling in the world. So yes, I feel like I'm on top of the world while writing about this tremendous team performance from Real Madrid in which we saw them smash Valencia 4-1. Coming into this game, I knew that we would end up winning considering Valencia's poor run of form this season. But still, I expected a match in which Real Madrid would have to grind out a win, but instead, we got to see a treat of a match with 5 goals in total.

30 minutes into this match and I started feeling that this might end up being a frustrating draw as neither side could produce a clear goalscoring opportunity. Little did I know that Vinicius and Benzema had something else in mind.

A penalty was awarded to Real Madrid in the 42nd minute after Diakhaby was penalised for blocking off Casemiro's run into the box. The referee barely hesitated before pointing to the spot and finally, the hosts got some reward for their persistence as Captain Karim smashed the ball into the top corner. It was after this goal that Madrid took complete control of the game.

7 minutes into the second half and Vinicius Jr came up with the second goal with typical directness and a small slice of fortune. The combination of passes between Benzema and Vinicius were delightful to watch as Vinicius danced his way through the Valencia defense and scored from close range. In the 61st minute, Vinicius got his brace by scoring a header into an empty net after Asensio's shot got saved by Cillessen.

Valencia got a controversial penalty in the 76th minute in what was an extremely soft touch by Ferland Mendy. Got to feel bad for Courtois as he couldn't keep his cleansheet even after he saved the penalty as Gonçalo Guedes scored on the rebound to get a consolation goal for his team. Courtois didn't have much to do in the first half, however, he was absolutely sparkling in the second half especially when he saved Wass's volley from outside the box that could've very well ended up inside the net.

In the 88th minute, Benzema got a brace of his own after Mendy cut the ball back inside the box for Benzema to control and slot it home. The ease with which he controlled the ball, turned around and took the shot was magnificent to watch. After all, he is one of the best players in the world right now.

Here are my 3 points from this incredible fixture-

1) Asensio: In my opinion, Asensio was fundamental in today's win as apart from the offensive threat that he offered, he also tracked back a lot to help the team defensively whenever required. I would pick over Eden Hazard anyday as Hazard cant provide this much workrate and with Benzema and Vinicius on fire, you need someone who could maybe take the backseat and help the team to maintain it's structure.

2) Alaba & Militão: Real Madrid's defense has improved significantly since the start of the season and it all comes down to the brilliance of David Alaba and Éder Militão. Alaba has arrived this season only and he has already become one of the key players of this squad. Militão, on the other hand, has been here since 2019 and hasn't really been the talk of the town due to already established players like Varane and Ramos being the central figure. However, Militão has stepped up after their departure and has very well become one of the best central defenders in world football right now.

3) Benzema and Vinicius: Almost half of the season is still left to play out and this duo has already combined for 35 goals and 17 assists. That's 52 direct goal involvements in this season making them the best-attacking duo in the world right now. With the likes of Mbappé coming in next season, I can only imagine how lethal this attacking trio would be.

Following their 15th league win of the season, Los Blancos will take on a struggling Barcelona side in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday night. Coming into this game, Real Madrid are definitely the favourites to win it, but then again, anything can happen in El Clásico and you wouldn't want to make the mistake of taking Barcelona lightly.