Real Madrid - Almería summary: VAR, score, goals & highlights, LaLiga EA Sports
Real Madrid - Almería: as it happened
Full-time thoughts:
Real Madrid came from 0-2 down to beat a spirited but ultimately incredibly unfortunate Almería side who remain winless in LaLiga this season.
The game started off in the perfect fashion for Gaizka Garitano's side, who scored after 41 seconds. A Nacho mistake allowed the away side to launch a quick attack and Ramazani slid under Kepa to stun the Bernabéu.
The second goal was a warning of the madness that was to come. Centre-back Edgar got on the end of a dropping ball to thunder a potential goal of the season effort into the top corner from distance, putting Almería two goals up.
Half time came and went and Ancelotti changed things up. Madrid started brightly and their fortunes turned when Bellingham slotted home a penalty after a long VAR check ended with a handball decision given against Kaiky.
However, Almería failed to let this stop them and they raced up the other end before Arribas made it 1-3. The game was then stopped to the surprise of the crowd and players, and a very weak foul was given against Bellingham in the build-up, causing the score to be reduced back after VAR check number two.
The next VAR check was not far behind: Vini Jr 'shouldered' the ball past Maximiano and after another long wait, the goal was eventually given, putting Madrid level amid controversial circumstances.
At 2-2, the attacks from Los Blancos kept coming. And then, just as it looked 'too late' for Real Madrid, the players realised there is no such thing as 'too late' at the Bernabéu.
Carvajal got on the end of a dropping ball inside the box to smash home from close range and take all three points in a sensationally dramatic game in LaLiga.
Let's leave it there!
Thanks for following this crazy game!
Check out the AS USA live coverage of Betis - Barcelona!
Joe
Here's how the Madrid players reacted:
The noise in the Bernabéu was as loud as you are imagining...
FULL-TIME!!!
REAL MADRID COMPLETE A SENSATIONAL COMEBACK IN THE GAME OF THE SEASON
CHANCE FOR ALMERÍA
Akieme fires over from distance!
We're into minute 114, no whistle just yet.
INTO THE SIDE NETTING!!!!
Carvajal sends the cross from Suárez into the side netting and Almería have a corner!
Almería are attacking...
We've got just seconds to go... I think!
Madrid attack and Bellingham spreads wide to Carvajal, who plays it forward before racing into the box.
Bellingham gets a header on the cross from Brahim and it's the right-back at the far post who taps past Maximiano to take the roof off the Bernabéu!
DANI CARVAJAL!!!
GGGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
REAL MADRID SCORE!!!
THE BERNABÉU HAS ERUPTED!!!!!!!
Camavinga is booked for foul on Lopy.
RED CARD FOR GARITANO!
The Almería manager has gone!
We've had a stoppage due to an injury to Lopy, but his recovery has been sensational.
TCHOUAMÉNI FIRES OVER!
The ball fell to the Frenchman on the edge of the box but his body shape was never right; leaning back, he skewed the effort high and wide.
Almería defend the free-kick well.
Almería are doing their best to keep Madrid off the ball.
Real Madrid win a free-kick on the right side of the pitch, close to the corner of the box.
JOSELU HEADS INTO MAXIMIANO'S HANDS
Almería have a corner. They're not rushing themselves, let's say that.
ELEVEN ADDED MINUTES
Into the final minute of normal time...
CHANCE FOR MADRID
Fran's cross finds Joselu at the far post, who heads across goal to Bellingham, but he can't get a toe on the ball as it bobbles agonisingly across goal!
Gasps from the crowd as Joselu fails to control a through ball from Carvajal. Madrid are pushing hard.
CEBALLOS FIRES WIDE
The ex-Betis man dragged the ball wide of the near post after finding an inch of space inside the box.
Almería waste a solid 90 seconds on a substitution, with Melero coming on for Robertone.
BELLINGHAM OVERHEAD KICK WIDE
I am telling you, if he scores that, the Bernabéu would have collapsed.
The cross flew in from the right and the Englishman threw an acrobatic leg at the ball, but his shot flew just wide!
Madrid change the midfield:
ON: Camavinga
OFF: Kroos
HOW DID VINICIUS MISS????
What a save from Maximiano!!
The ball is sent into the box where Brahim takes it down. He lays off to Vini Jr one yard from goal but somehow Maximiano gets an arm on his shot and sends it wide!
Ten to go...
Almería have launched their own moment of pressure on the Madrid defence, and have them pinned back.
What a sensational goal. Kroos sends Fran García racing down the wing. He gets to the byline and puts a ball onto the penalty spot for Bellingham, who crashes a wonderful shot into the top corner.
However, the full-back was offside in the build-up.
BELLINGHAM GOLAZO OFFSIDE!!!!
CHANCE FOR REAL MADRID
Kroos' cross is headed wide by Dani Carvajal at the near post.
Another Madrid change:
ON: Ceballos
OFF: Valverde
The crowd are in the mood for more and Real Madrid are only one away from completing the comeback. Gaizka Garitano meanwhile, the Almería manager, looks ready to explode.
The ball is rolling again.
On second viewing, I'd say it's Vini Jr's arm that he uses to score the goal. But then again, you can probably find one million opinions that say the contrary. Who knows? Certainly not me.
It's the poor referee's first ever Real Madrid game, he's not going to forget this one!
The referee is going to the screen, AGAIN!
The cross came in from Tchouaméni on the right and Vini Jr tapped it in with his shoulder. The referee has ruled the goal out for handball, but there's another check.
My, oh my...
NO!!!!! FOUL!!!!
Ceballos is preparing to come on.
We're back underway.
The referee has ruled that it's a foul from Lopy on Bellingham. If you want my opinion, it is a harsh decision.
NO GOAL
Lopy puts his hand in Bellingham's face before Ramazani gets the ball. This is the incident under review.
There's a possible foul in the build-up, apparently.
A lightning counter from Ramazani catches Madrid out. The winger crosses to Arribas who only has to tap in!
SERGIO ARRIBAS
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLL
ALMERÍA SCORE AND RESTORE THEIR LEAD!!!!!!!!!
Vini loses the ball on the edge of the box as he tries to go alone despite having runners on either side. A missed opportunity for Real Madrid to get at a worried Almería side.
CHANCE FOR REAL MADRID
Joselu's header is caught by Maximiano!
Back underway...
The goalkeeper went to his right while Bellingham rolled the ball calmly down the middle. That's 14 for the season in LaLiga.
Hey Jude sings the Bernabéu.
Bellingham steps up...
Bellingham has the ball in his hands.
After a long check, Real Madrid are given a penalty for a Kaiky handball.
PENALTY TO REAL MADRID!!!!!
The referee is going to check the screen!
The ball certainly hits Kaiky's hand as Fran García's cross comes in.
CHANCE FOR REAL MADRID
Fran García's cross is headed on by Rüdiger and Bellingham can't get a toe on it at the back post!
Ramazani gets the first booking of the game after fouling Brahim as the forward races towards goal.
Almería are in their Roman Tortoise formation, with their shields pointing in all directions as Real Madrid fire arrows at them.
It's more positive play from Madrid, who work the ball well on the edge of the box before sliding into Joselu, who is offside.
Bellingham fouls Robertone and the Englishman is penalised. He's not a happy bunny rabbit about it at all, and has a word with Señor referee.
It's a 4-1-4-1 from Madrid, with Kroos holding and Joselu up front.
Madrid start off on the offensive and three crosses are shot into the box in a total of 10 seconds. Almería defend them all.
Remember, Almería have not won a single game all season!
Second half underway!
The home side get us rolling. Will we see a miraculous comeback or can Almería repeat their fantastic first half?
Ancelotti switches things up:
ON: Nacho, Fran García, Brahim
OFF: Mendy, Rodrygo, Joselu
Real Madrid's players are back out!
And my oh my, Ancelotti is not happy.
Every single Real Madrid substitute is warming up...
This never happens with Real Madrid, who usually bring their squad into the dressing room with them. We may be seeing some changes from Carlo.
The face of a man who scores the goal of the season
OK, after some thinking, it might have some competition to win the award, but it was certainly a sensational strike with a hugely important context behind it.
Half-time thoughts:
It's been a sensational game so far from Almería, who started off in perfect fashion, with Ramazani sliding past Kepa after a Nacho giveaway allowed Robertone to filter a pass behind an out of shape defence.
Madrid huffed and puffed, and tried to break down the wall put up by the away side with a dessert spoon, unable to smash through and create a decent chance to trouble Maximiano.
And then came the thunder. Edgar struck a dropping ball from the edge of the box with a force that the Large Hadron Collider would be proud of creating, cracking the back of the net and stunning the Santiago Bernabéu crowd.
Half-time!
REAL MADRID SHOCKED AS ALMERÍA GO INTO THE BREAK TWO GOALS AHEAD!
CHANCE FOR ALMERÍA
Ramazani races away on the counter, cuts inside and fires a shot that is deflected past the far post!
As you may expect, Almería are in no rush to do just about anything.
4 added minutes.
We're back underway. Real Madrid have opened the Bernabéu roof for Carlo Ancelotti's eyebrow to raise up into the sky.
This is a joke.
Almería play the ball forward and Nacho clears on the edge of the box with a weak touch away. The ball sits up delightfully for Edgar, who swings a leg at it, closes his eyes, thinks of himself sitting on a Caribbean beach, and thunders the ball past Kepa and into the top corner of the goal!
EDGAR
GGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
ALMERÍA SCORE THE GOAL OF THE SEASON
[Copy + paste] Another long ball over the top finds nobody in white as Almería defend well and Maximiano comes out to collect the ball.
Bellingham is limping...
Five to go!
A fantastic challenge from Lopy inside the Almería box steals the ball from Vini Jr, who had found an inch-wide gap between the defence.
The ball comes back in for Almería to defend, but this time it's Kroos who messes up, swinging a boot at the air as the ball bounces past him.
Bellingham is down again... he got a massive stamp on his ankle from Kaiky but nothing was given.
Bellingham is down after a 50/50 with Robertone. Madrid see the subsequent free-kick cleared but that must be the fifth time that the Englishman has gone down after a strong challenge from an opponent.
CHANCE FOR REAL MADRID
It's almost an own goal as Carvajal's cross from the right is deflected up into the air by Chumi, landing on the roof of the net.
Madrid's players are missing simple passes and are seeing their play break down time after time.
The crowd are restless, the players are waving their arms in frustration and Ancelotti's eyebrow cannot get any higher because the Bernabéu roof is closed.
Fede Valverde breaks down the right and sends in a cross that comes flying off the back of Rodrygo, a few yards away. That's how well things are going for Ancelotti's team.
Pudill fouls Vini Jr close to the halfway line and the defender escapes a booking...
Another long ball over the top of Almería's defence goes wrong for Madrid and bobbles out of play... the home side can't find a way through right now.
We've had a stoppage for another injury to Robertone, but he looks OK to continue.
CHANCE FOR ALMERÍA
Akieme fires in a dangerous cross right to the feet of Arribas, who is all on his own inside the box. The former Madrid winger smashes a shot towards goal that spins just wide!
The Bernabéu crowd respond by whistling the players...
A delightful Madrid sequence of play from right to left ends with Vini Jr, who loses out in a 1vs1 against Pubill, the Almería right-back.
Rodrygo tries to find Bellingham with a chip over the top, but the ball is not on target and lands in the hands of Maximiano.
The play is slowly gearing up for Real Madrid, who are finding more spaces in and around the box, especially on the left. It's Mendy this time, who sees his cross blocked away after a nice ball down the line from Bellingham.
Almería are currently down to 10 as Robertone has gone off for treatment.
CHANCE FOR REAL MADRID
Tchouaméni heads Kroos' corner wide!
CHANCE FOR REAL MADRID
Vini Jr beats his man down the left and sends a delicious ball across goal, but nobody is there with their knife and fork to gobble it up.
Ramazani vs Carvajal is already a fantastic battle: so far, it's the Almería winger who is winning, using his electric pace to get behind him time and time again.
Rodrygo finds an inch on the edge of the box, but it's a weak, wayward shot that bobbles meekly past the far post.
Almería are everywhere in the opening stages: Madrid's passes are only just finding their teammates, if at all.
Ramazani looks for Lopy in the Madrid box with an outside of the boot cross, but Kepa steps out to collect.
It's not quite clicking for Los Blancos right now, as they struggle to find the front men in the tangle of Almería legs on the edge of the box.
Mendy and Vini Jr work well down Madrid's left and that finally gets the fans going, who had been in shock since the goal. The Brazilian is then sandwiched by two defenders and loses the ball.
Arribas is penalised for a foul on Kroos, right on halfway. It was an incredibly weak decision, and one that stopped a potential counter for the away side.
Almería are playing a very high back line when Madrid start their build up, pressing them in. As Madrid attack, they drop quickly, blocking off any potential runs from Vini Jr and Rodrygo.
Rüdiger's long ball over the top of the defence almost finds Jude Bellingham but the red and white shirts see the ball out for a goal-kick.
Real Madrid are still continuing their possession game, with Almería sitting back in what seems like a 100-100-100 formation.
We're back underway. Madrid on the ball, probing.
Almería attack after they win the ball from Nacho: Arribas flicks left to Robertone who slides a pass through, behind Carvajal towards Ramazani. The winger smashes the ball towards the goalkeeper where it bounces off his outstretched leg and into the goal.
41 SECONDS
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL
ALMERÍA TAKE THE LEAD
Aaaaand Real Madrid win the ball instantly.
And we're off!
Almería get us going from right to left.
But first...
Nacho is showing off the Spanish Super Cup to the adoring fans.
Handshakes done...
All players are on the pitch and we're ready to rock and roll.
The fans are making a fantastic noise!
The Real Madrid himno is booming out of the colossal speakers and the fans are responding with a huge roar!
Here come the players!
The tunnel is full and the fans are ready!
Here's your final reminder of the XIs:
REAL MADRID
GK: Kepa
DEF: Carvajal - Rüdiger - Nacho - Mendy
MID: Kroos - Tchouaméni - Valverde - Bellingham
ATT: Vinicius Jr - Rodrygo
***
ALMERÍA:
GK: Maximiano
DEF: Akieme - Chumi - Kaiky - Edgar - Pubill
MID: Lopy - Robertone
ATT: Arribas - Marezi - Ramazani
The players are racing down the tunnel!
The pre-match warmups are over and all the players have made their way down the tunnel for the final team talks!
Did you know?
These are Almería's highest shot counts of the season. It's curious to note that they normally perform against the top teams.
They drew 0-0 against Girona, almost beat Barcelona and it took a late Atleti goal for Simeone's side to win.
vs Girona - 20 shots
vs RealMadrid - 20 shots
vs RealBetis - 20 shots
vs AtléticoMadrid - 19 shots
Warmups underway!
Both sides have stepped out onto the pitch and are going through their warmup routines ahead of kick-off, which is just over 15 minutes away!
What else do we have going on at AS USA Towers?
A great question, reader.
And it just so happens that you're in luck.
The other big LaLiga game we’ve got today is Betis’ clash against Barcelona.
Xavi finally went full high school soccer coach mode in yesterday’s press conference, saying that he “sees the pass but it doesn’t happen”. You can follow that game live on AS USA with Kieran Quaile, right after the action in the Spanish capital.
How to watch!
If you fancy watching the game on your TV or streaming device, then check out this handy guide with everything you need to know.
Carlo Ancelotti pre-match press conference:
There are many players who deserve to play and I have to take into account if there is tiredness after Thursday's game. I have the feeling, after today's training session, that everyone will recover and the objective isn't to hand out minutes but to win the games.
There's no such thing as an immaculate goalkeeper. They make mistakes and both Kepa and Lunin have made them. There's no internal debate. The debate is outside, not inside. There's no debate here. I choose the goalkeeper and that's it.
I don't give an opinion [on criticism]. I listen and try to look at what's going on in the dressing room. We're still in a good shape and we're happy and in good spirits. What's going on around us doesn't matter much.
The team is competing and performing very well. All the players, apart from those out with cruciate injuries, are okay and now we have two weeks to work and that suits us well.
I try to be as objective as possible and in the league games against Atlético we did poorly. Since then things have improved. We played very well in the cup game.
There were some situations that were costly for us and we weren't sharp at the back, but we played good football and controlled the game against a very strong opponent. Nobody deserved to lose.
A reminder of the starting XIs:
If you've just joined us, then welcome along!
Here's how the two sides line up for the game today:
REAL MADRID
GK: Kepa
DEF: Carvajal - Rüdiger - Nacho - Mendy
MID: Kroos - Tchouaméni - Valverde - Bellingham
ATT: Vinicius Jr - Rodrygo
***
ALMERÍA:
GK: Maximiano
DEF: Akieme - Chumi - Kaiky - Edgar - Pubill
MID: Lopy - Robertone
ATT: Arribas - Marezi - Ramazani
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THE LAST TIME OUT...
It was that boy Bellingham who showed his talents in the early season game between Madrid and Almería.
Los Blancos put their opponents to the sword with a brace from the Englishman before a Vini Jr strike towards the end of the game sealed the deal. Sergio Arribas had put his side ahead after just 2 minutes but it was the quality of the 35-time league champions that came through in the end.
Interesting results coming in!
Well, well, well, dear readers, the Twitter community are having their say as we speak and it's not going to be entirely straightforward for the home side, or at least that's what the LaLiga watchers believe...
Bellingham completes his pre-match ritual
If you aren't aware, Jude Bellingham steps out onto the pitch ahead of every game in order to visualise himself playing as well as imagining how things are going to go.
Safe to say that it's worked pretty well for him so far during his time in Spain!
Europa Press Sports / Europa Press via Getty Images
Player to watch: Sergio Arribas
You may think that Sergio Arribas looks incredibly similar to the former Real Madrid Castilla winger, also called Sergio Arrbias.
Well, believe it or not, it’s the same player. Arribas left Real Madrid permanently in 2023 after spending 11 years in the youth setup in the capital.
He only made ten appearances for the first team, but this season at Almería he is showing why Real Madrid kept hold of him for so long. Arribas has 5 goals in 18 appearances and has consistently been one of Almería’s most dangerous players, despite the poor results the team has managed across the season.
He also grabbed the early Almería goal when Real Madrid visited the Power Horse Stadium earlier in the season. Yes, it's really called that.
One hour to go!
And the Madrid players have arrived at the stadium!
Real Madrid haven't played at home for 18 days, so it's a nice opportunity for the fans to once again say hello to their heroes.
ALMERÍA XI REVEALED:
Garitano goes with a 5-2-3 for the game: Maximiano; Akieme, Chumi, Edgar, Kaiky, Pubill; Lopy, Robertone; Ramazani, Marezi, Arribas.
SUSANA VERA / REUTERS
Meet the manager:
Gaizka Garitano, a retired Spanish professional footballer who operated as a midfielder, is currently the manager for UD Almería.
Throughout his 11 seasons as a player, he managed impressive statistics in Spain’s Segunda División, making 315 appearances and scoring 37 goals, spending time at both Bilbao Athletic and Eibar.
As a manager, Garitano has taken charge of Eibar, Athletic and Almería, as well as Deportivo La Coruña and Valladolid.
Get involved!
We've got a poll up and running on Twitter so you can have your say on how you think the result is going to go. If you're feeling really brave, drop your score prediction below.
Look away, Almería fans...
Almería fans, if you would like to look away right about now, I would not begrudge you. The Andalucian side are, after 20 games played, on just six points and sit rock-bottom of the table that looks as deep as Mars’ Mount Olympus is high (Google it).
They are yet to win a single game all season and I’ll let you do the maths on how many they’ve lost, as this is a family friendly live feed.
Granada sit on 11 points in 19th, and normally that would be a total to both laugh, cry and have hope about, but poor Almería are so far adrift that I don’t think they can even use the stars to navigate out of this one…
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 17 | 21 | 3 | 8 | 10 |
| 17 | 16 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| 18 | 15 | 21 | 2 | 9 | 10 |
| 19 | 11 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| 20 | 6 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 14 |
Here's a better view of how things look at the Bernabéu
The roof is closed today for the game, with temperatures dropping drastically in the Spanish capital over the past few days.
If you look just below the roof, you'll see the giant, 360º screen that's currentlyunfinished. Once it's done, as the name suggests, we'll have fantastic views of the scoreboard from all angles.
A strong XI from Ancelotti:
We expected changes to Carlo's starting side, but it was not to be from the Italian, who has named a first-choice team to take on Almería. Perhaps the away side were hoping for some changes to the top tier XI that Ancelotti has put out. Alas, it was not to be...
JUAN GARCIA CRUZ / DIARIO AS
Who's the ref?
Francisco José Hernández Maeso is the extraordinarily long name for today’s referee. Imagine that on a passport.
The 35-year-old is overseeing his first ever game at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and on top of that, it will be his first ever game involving either of the big two of Los Blancos or Barcelona. As for Almería, he oversaw their 2-1 away loss to Villarreal earlier in the season.
Today's setting:
The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is the host venue for today’s tie. It’s been undergoing a huge makeover - a facelift, if you will, and things finally look like they’re wrapping up with the roof in place, as well as around 80% of the big screen.
How things look at the top of the table...
Things would be going swimmingly for Real Madrid this season and they would as a result, in a normal world, be top of the tree as we barrel through the season. However, pesky Catalans Girona continue to surprise and they’re currently leaders.
They’re a point behind Míchel’s men but have played a game less. Curiously, they’ve also scored 6 less goals than their title challengers.
The rest of the top four is made up of Athletic Club and Barcelona, with Atlético Madrid just 3 points behind Xavi’s side.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 49 | 20 | 15 | 4 | 1 |
| 2 | 48 | 19 | 15 | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | 41 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | 41 | 19 | 12 | 5 | 2 |
| 5 | 38 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 5 |
Want to watch the game?
If you fancy watching the game on your TV or streaming device, then check out this handy guide with everything you need to know.
REAL MADRID XI REVEALED!
OK, Carlo, this is getting silly now. We're more or less TWO HOURS away from kick-off, I'm just preparing the live feed and you drop your starting team?!
Anyway, it's an incredibly strong side from the Italian, who goes full-strength for the game.
Team news: Almería
César Montes will not be available today as he is still getting over an injury; Arnau Puigmal and Koné and also out.
Almería also have various names away at the African Cup of Nations: Mendes, Baba and Marciano.
Leo Baptistao is also not in the squad for the trip as he is serving a suspension for yellow cards.
Team news: Real Madrid
The team news at this stage of the season for Los Blancos is as follows: Courtois, Militão and Alaba are all still out.
Lucas Vázquez has made the squad for the game.
Despite the good news on the injury front, Ancelotti is expected to change things up for the game.
And we're up and running!
Hello and welcome to the AS USA live coverage of the LaLiga EA Sports game between Real Madrid and Almería.
It’s been contrasting fortunes for both sides this season, with (nearly) top versus bottom. You never know, we may well get a surprise.
It’s Joe here today to guide you through the goings on in the Spanish capital; I’ll be here for the pre-match build-up, live minute-by-minute coverage and all the fallout.
Kick-off is around 90 minutes away.