Real Madrid vs Valencia summary: score, goals, highlights | LaLiga Santander 2022-23

Vini and Nike: a broken relationship

Vinicius has all but confirmed the breakup with Nike.

Puma are favourites to take him on. But what would that mean for Neymar?

Oh, my. So many questions. Well, find all* the answers here.

*almost all

Signing off...

And with that, it's goodbye from me!

It was great fun guiding you through the Real Madrid 2-0 Valencia game in LaLiga tonight. Make sure to come back for more!

Joe

Benzema and Militão injuries confirmed

Here is what we know about the injuries to the two players, which has come at the worst possible time for Real Madrid.

A very curious response from Butragueño...

When asked in the post-match interview about whether Benzema had an automatic renewal clause in his contract if he won the Ballon d'Or, the Madrid legend smiled and said:

"We are here to talk about the match, no?"

Dani Ceballos post-match:

"It was an emotional moment [hearing the fans sing his name]. It hasn't been easy. I went to England and got injured but now I'm enjoying things.

We have been at the standard of Barcelona in the first half of the season. 

Sunday we have a game against Mallorca which won't be easy.

I have to learn from Luka and Toni. They are the best. I have to learn from them and adapt to my role. Hopefully I can have a career as long and successful as they have."

Nacho post-match

"Defensive solidity is the most important thing for us.

I have the chance and luck to play lots of games consecutively.

We are very happy with the win to keep up the title challenge.

I am happy here, at Madrid. It's not about money or other teams, it's something personal. I have no problem with the group at all. It's something very personal. The club knows it, whatever happens, just as I have been for my whole career.

It's hard to play every now and again without continuity. The team has always needed me. Experience helps, I am a better player than before, but it's not easy. I'd love to play every week at centre-back, but if I'm needed at full-back, I'm happy to play."

Carlo Ancelotti post-match:

"The second half was a bit simpler, we had more energy on the pitch.

Vinicius had more chances in the second half, they trapped him well in the first half.

The team is solid. Madrid has a great individual quality. Keeping a clean sheet is very important. We will have success that starts with a good defence.

Camavinga surprises me because he hasn't played a lot there. He does well with Vinicius on the left. He is very strong 1vs1 in defence; he doesn't like it much but we do!

Militão won't be back for Sunday."

soccer

Nobody protects Vinicius, the most fouled player in LaLiga

*cough* Vinicius was fouled lots of times again *cough*

Voro post-match comments

"We all saw the challenge from Gabriel, it wasn't good. It's a clear red card. It's a consequence of his anger. The game was difficult at that point, but with 10 it was worse.

We were playing in a complicated place to play. We want to get better defensively but they have solutions on the wings to make things hard for us.

We were less organised after Asensio's goal, their high press was difficult to manage.

There is no doubt about the scoreline. But we need to grow from here. We started well, this is the way forward.

Not every team has the quality of Madrid, so we will continue to work hard.

We used the 442 or the 4231 to defend, we have to find a balance in the system off the ball to have the highest expectations to defend. We have to hold onto the things we want to improve. 

There are 19 games to go. We can't lose sight of the objective."

Benzema had a lovely game tonight for Madrid

The Frenchman is finally finding form this season.

The best thing is always the 3 points, but we have got better in defence.

They didn't have many chances, it was a good game.

Maybe we could have scored in the first half, but their red card made things easier for us.

As for the red, the referee said it was an elbow, but I didn't see that. But of course, if the guy goes to the floor, VAR will look, and it looks worse with a slow motion camera. That's what they say, to go down [so the foul gets looked at].

Vini must be protected. Defences don't like him: they always kick him in the games. It's a foul without any reason behind it. 

Match report:

In the end, Madrid could have scored 4, 5 6 or 300.

Valencia crumbled and by the end, they were bailing water out of the boat with a million holes in the sides.

They are on 20 points and one above the drop zone. Voro has a huge job on his hands here, especially given the way in which Gabriel reacted on Vinicius, that was not the challenge of a man who is confident and prepared to battle in the correct way.

As for Real Madrid, that was the performance they needed to keep morale high and although they have a huge task to catch Barça, it will come as a relief to Ancelotti that his side have not thrown in the towel. 

The only bad news for today for the home side is the injury to Militão, who went off early with what seemed like a groin injury.

Full time!

Madrid 2-0 Valencia

Real Madrid are now 5 points behind league leaders Barcelona.

ASENSIO FIRES WIDE!

Valencia are lucky there are only a few seconds left! 

Vinicius is still a huge pain-in-the-everything down the left. He is played in again and the ball falls to Asensio, but his shocked is blocked off the line.

3 minutes to be added.

RODRYGO SHOOTS AND IT IS SAVED!

That was a rocket!

He went for the classic 'just smack it and see where it goes' technique. A favourite of mine.

A free-kick for Madrid on the very edge of the box. Rodrygo was tripped by Comert. 

They'll be lining up to take this one...

Vinicius is once again played in behind but his run is stopped by the grateful defender. 

Ceballos, quédate (Ceballos, stay), shout the crowd.

Dani Ceballos reponds by waving to the adoring fans.

Vinicius pops the ball through the legs of a defender and it drops to Nacho, inside the box. 

The Spaniard shoots but sees his effort blocked. Tchouaméni gets on the rebound but spoons the shot into orbit.

DaniCeballos has done a lot of pointing today, something I would normally laugh a little at. However, I have to say that he has, alongside Modric and Kroos, ran the Madrid midfield from start to finish.

Despite being 2 goals and a man up, Madrid continue to press high and are looking for more.

Tchouaméni sees his shot blocked over the bar.

Cómo no te voy a querer (How am I not going to love you) rings out around the stadium...

The fans are surely delighted with the performance in the second half.

Valencia look dead and buried here... they are struggling to make simple passes and hold onto the ball long enough to do anything serious.

The Madrid side that are seeing out this game are exuding class and frightening skill. Rodrygo, Vinicius, Camavinga, Ceballos, Asensio, Valverde... scary stuff for opposition defences.

They are content to keep the ball and switch from right to left and back again, looking for holes in the Valencia block that is trying to keep them out.

Cavani OFF

Fran Pérez ON

VALVERDE'S EFFORT SAVED!

It wasn't a typical Valverde thunderbolt, but it was low and struck well that meant Mamardashvili had to make quite an acrobatic dive down low. Another good save from the Valencia goalkeeper.

That truly was a ludicrous challenge from Gabriel Paulista...

GABRIEL PAULISTA SEES A STRAIGHT RED FOR A FOUL ON VINICIUS

He swung a crazy leg at Vinicius in what is a clearly dangerous challenge.

Vinicius is a lucky man to walk away OK from that. 

Ouch!

Foulquier smashes into a tough challenge on Vinicius; the Bernabéu holds its breath...

Valencia are just starting to see some of the ball, but that is drawing them out and leaving more space for the Madrid attackers to lap up.

Rodrygo meets a Vinicius through ball  on the left side but his cross goes to nobody and is cleared.

A story about Rüdiger in two parts:

He slices a clearance out for a corner. 

And then throws his head at the boot of the Valencia attacker who tried to volley the resulting cross. 

The two sides of the centre-back.

Modric and Kroos OFF

Valverde and Tchouaméni ON

One generation for another.

Madrid are now toying with Valencia, poking passes around them as the players chase shadows. Substitutes coming up for Ancelotti's side.

Rodrygo dances in the middle channel on the edge of the box and fires a low shot wide. 

Valencia now with some sustained possession, but Madrid look like cool cucumbers and happy to see the opposite side have some of the ball in front of them.

Vinicius fouled on the left side, right as he had taken a huge touch behind the defence and was about to replicate the move for his goal.

That was a close one!

Benzema OFF

Rodrygo ON

Castillejo OFF

MarcosAndré ON

Valencia are on the ropes, bleeding from both nostrils and with their guard well and truly down. 

Madrid have grown 300 sizes and are relentlessly throwing punches at the battered side. 

AND NOW BENZEMA!!!

My, oh my, the beast has awoken.

MODRIC COMES CLOSE!

The ball was played behind the defence from Benzema, with Vini picking it up near halfway. Nobody was catching him as he burned away from the helpless defenders and slipped the ball under the arms of Mamardashvili.

WHAT AN AMAZING GOAL 

Asensio takes the ball on the right side of the box and rifles a fearsome shot into the top left corner. What an amazing strike from the man.

Absolutely out of nowhere, Asensio punishes a solid Valencia. Benzema had almost scored in the previous moment after a Vinicius cross was just too long.

Some slow but neat play at the back for Madrid ends when Ceballos takes the ball on a 20-yard adventure up the pitch, moving the whole team forward and into attacking positions.

Benzema almost gets on the end of a bouncing ball inside the box but Diakhaby clears well. Madrid have started the half 10 yards higher than they finished the first.

Camavinga works well with Benzema on the left wing but the Ballon d'Or winner is caught by Valencia's offside trap and the move breaks down.

It feels as though Madrid are lacking that spark - might it be Rodrygo?

Gabriel closes off the angle for Benzema as the Frenchman gets into a good area inside the box and takes the ball down superbly well on his chest.

Madrid start by holding possession, drawing out Valencia.

Voro's side sit off their opponents as the ball zips left and right.

And we're off!

No changes at the break.

Fede Valverde are Tchouameni are warming up... might we see them later?

Look away, Madrid fans

5 goals ruled out for Madrid by VAR this season so far - the most of any team.

Half time!!

Well, that got very hot very quickly!

The VAR decision will take the headlines, but apart from that it was a fairly even contest, with not a great number of clear chances for either side.

Valencia will be happy, they have battled well and going in at 0-0 can only be seen as a positive given recent results.

Two minutes or so will be added to the game now after that decision...

Madrid with the ball, probing.

VAR RULES IT OUT!!

It's going to VAR...

Benzema's hand definitely touched Musah's face, but I'm not sure how much contact there was. It was a very soft touch.

Modric swung in a corner and it was met by the German centre-back who headed in beautifully!

But there is controversy as Musah is down in the box. It looks like Benzema made contact with him.

Modric has slid over to the left side, as he presumably wants ton join in on the fun Ceballos and Camavinga are having on the ball. 

Madrid continue to probe, but without making any real progress past the middle third. 

3 added minutes.

Ceballos has been at the heart of every Madrid move so far. 

A wave of passes from the home side had him in the centre of the spider web, dictating the next move and deciding how and where was best to carry on the move. 

What an excellent half of football he has had, yet again.

It's a miracle!

Everybody is fine!

Play continues.

Now Lino is on the floor...

The Bernabéu erupts in whistles as the referee doesn't blow for a late challenge on Ceballos from Musah. 

The Spaniard is down, holding his leg.

Camavinga almost gets on the end of a Kroos free-kick from the right. The Frenchman had popped up at the back post but the ball fizzed just past his head and he was unable to make contact.

Nacho is now playing as the left-sided centre-back. 

I am never not amazed by the defensive versatility of Nacho, what a servant to the club he is.

Madrid defend a succession of Valencia corners well, but the game has slowed down since the pause for the injury to Militão.

Militão looks distraught on the bench...

Militão OFF

Carvajal ON

Madrid's defensive injury woes continue.

Carvajal is being prepared.

Lino and Militão are both down.

It appears the Real Madrid doctor has requested a change.

The first yellow of evening goes to Nacho for a foul on Musah as the midfielder tried to burn away from the Madrid man. A tactical foul, I believe they call it.

Ceballos (again) wins the ball back amazingly well on the left side, this time stealing it from the dancing toes of Castillejo.

CAMAVINGA AGAINST THE SIDE-NETTING

Kroos found Asensio in between the lines and after a one-two with Benzema, Camavinga was played in down the left wing but his shot went wide. 

Asensio makes a run from deep but Modric's pass towards him is cut out by the well-positioned Diakhaby.

VINICIUS' SHOT SAVED

Benzema won the ball back high up and set the ball left to the oncoming winger who perhaps had too much time to think about what to do. In the end, his weak show was welcomed by Mamardashvili.

Camavinga gets a huge applause from the crowd after good defensive work to win back the ball. 

He is genuinely playing as both a left-back and centre-midfielder at the same time.

Asensio misses a great chance!

He missed the ball completely!

Benzema slipped in the ball from the left and the Spaniard had a perfect chance to tap past the goalkeeper, but missed the ball with his right foot.

Gayà fires a low, driven pass to Lino who made a lung-busting run from deep but the Madrid goalkeeper comes off his line superbly to stop him from getting in behind. 

Gabriel Paulista gets a single hair on Asensio's cross and stops it from meeting the incoming Bezema!

Militão tripped by Cavani out on the right side. Free kick to Madrid.

Nacho does excellently well to stop Lino from slipping the ball between his legs, and Madrid stop the Valencia attack. 

The ball is immediately fired to Vinicius, who is, without doubt, Madrid's main outlet.

SO CLOSE FROM ASENSIO!

BENZEMA WITH A GUTI BACKHEEL 

Vinicius played in the French striker behind the Valencia defence and Benzema, under a challenge from Musah, back-heeled the ball instead of shooting, immediately invoking memories of that Guti pass. Asensio fired over the bar from close range.

Ceballos feints past one, two, three Valencia players in the middle of the pitch causing me to produce a noise that I'm quite embarrassed about. That was a lovely moment of skill.

Now it's Real Madrid's turn. In a flash, Modric plays to Benzema whose shot is blocked. 

The crowd remember they're there to support the team and break out into song.

Gayà fires in a cross and Courtois stands there like a scarecrow, unsure whether or not to come and collect the ball. He lets it run across goal, causing the crowd to gasp in fright. 

Musah makes Militão work hard to get back and block an attempted cross from the left. Ancelotti is not happy with the amount of space he was given.

Valencia are determined to play out from the back, and they go through Gayà, Guillamón, Foulquier and Castillejo all the way up the pitch, resulting in a throw in after a Modric challenge.

Nice football from Voro's side.

Vinicius has a cross blocked from the left. Valencia defended well and got back quickly, as Benzema was lurking in those invisible spaces he loves to hide inside...

After 10 minutes we haven't had any goals so far, with Asensio's chance being the only opportunity that has come close to going in from any team.

Almeida hoofs Valencia's second corner of the night over everybody to Toni Kroos, who is fouled as he tries to keep the ball in play. 

Real Madrid get back possession...

Valencia get forward for the first time, working the ball well from left to right, before a cross is deflected wide.

The resulting corner is cleared.

Nothing given. It was a challenge from behind on the left-back and the referees decided to give it a second look. 

The game continues.

VAR is checking a foul on Camavinga...

A possible red.

It's a 4-4-2 in defence from Valencia, with USMNT player Musah right alongside Cavani in the press. I assume he'll do most of the running out of the two.

ASENSIO SO CLOSE!

What a great save!

A lovely ball was threaded through from Modric down the right, and Asensio's right-footed shot back across goal was well stopped by Mamardashvili.

From here, the Real Madrid pitch looks very ropey...

I think they are due to change it given the construction work. Let's see if it has any effect on today's game.

Dani Ceballos runs 10 yards more than any other Madrid player to dive into a fantastic challenge that stops a Valencia counter attack.

Vinicius starts his 200th game by tripping up Foulqiuer.

The Valencia man is still down...

And we're off! 

Valencia kick us off from right to left!

The Real Madrid anthem is playing loudly and here are the players! 

The players have returned to the dressings rooms and the incredibly loud PA system is announcing the teams... not long now!

Ten minutes to go!

Here are the starting XIs again:

Real Madrid:

Courtois

Nacho - Militão - Rüdiger - Camavinga

Modric - Kroos - Ceballos

Asensio - Benzema - Vinicius Jr

Valencia:

Mamardashvili

Foulquier - Gabriel - Diakhaby - Gayà

Musah - Guillamón - Almeida

Castillejo - Cavani - Lino

"The squad, after the departure of a loved coach, who did a great job, are a bit down.

It's been an intense time for the players and everyone. The players know football is like this.

We have had 2 or 3 sessions, they have changed their mental chip and are ready. Although we haven't had time for a lot of things, we are going to try and take advantage of the good things Gattuso did.

We are in a new situation [compared to previous seasons under Voro] and I don't have a magic wand. The only way out is by working, game by game, point by point. We are here with a desire to do things well. 

We had a great game against Madrid in the Super Cup.

We want to win, if not draw. But most of all we want to leave the stadium tonight with our heads held high."

Real Madrid vs Valencia statistical preview

With just half an hour to go, here is the SofaScore game preview. 

Madrid have the historical advantage and definitely come into to the game in better shape than their rivals, but Valencia's stats aren't terrible and they always seem to give Real Madrid a tough time, both home and away.

Vinicius Jr at Real Madrid

Here's the stats from Vini over his years at Real Madrid for you to pore over. 

Let's see if he can add to these numbers tonight!

45 minutes to go!

The Real Madrid players have just come out onto the Santiago Bernabéu pitch for the first time for their initial warmups.

Courtois is busy having shots fired at him by the goalkeeper coach and the outfield players are all taking part in the classic rondo.

It's pretty cold tonight in Madrid, at just 10ºC (50ºF), with a bit of a cold wind. Hopefully the Bernabéu heaters get fired up which do a great job! 

Not many fans in the stadium as of yet, but there are plenty outside and it should fill up nicely!

The Valencia players are checking out the pitch...

Will Los Che be able to turn around their bad form tonight? 

Lino, Cavani and Castillejo will be the front 3 that are after the goals today. 

The Uruguayan has got 5 goals this season, and is the current top scorer. 

LALIGA SANTANDER

Real Madrid defender David Alaba has not returned from his latest injury: report

David Alaba has been out for the past 3 games with a muscle injury - but when will he be back? 

Well, nobody is quite sure. Things are looking up, however, as the Austrian defender is finally back to training on the ball, so hopefully his recovery is getting towards the final stages. 

For more information, click the link above. 

Here is the Valencia starting XI:

USMNT midfielder Musah starts for Los Che, as does Uruguayan striker, Cavani.

Pre-game stats:

 - Madrid have won 11 and drawn five of their last 16 meetings with Valencia at the Bernabeu

- Valencia's last away win in the league came way back in October against Osasuna

- Madrid beat Valencia 4-3 on penalties in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals after a 1-1 draw

- Valencia are the only team in the bottom half of the league with a positive goal difference (+4)

Dani Ceballos pre-game comments:

"These were my happiest two weeks since I've been at Real Madrid.

I've found the maturity and continuity I needed.

I am ready to give everything for this biggest club in the world."

SOCCER

Real Madrid: the fixtures calendar from hell begins

And so begins Real Madrid's calendar from hell...

February and March are more squeezed than the middle of the LaLiga table. Somebody tell Voro.

LALIGA SANTANDER

Who are youngest players to play 200 games for Real Madrid?

Vinicius in on the verge of reaching a huge milestone tonight at the Bernabéu, and will be alongside players such as Iker Casillas and Raúl. Not bad, eh!

Here's the Sofascore analysis of Madrid's last game

We can see they completely dominated the Basque side, despite some scares.

Dani Ceballos got the highest rating for his team, so it's no surprise Ancelotti has chosen him to start again tonight!

Real Madrid starting XI!

Courtois

Nacho - Militão - Rüdiger - Camavinga

Kroos - Ceballos - Modric

Asensio - Benzema - Vini Jr

LALIGA

Real Madrid vs Valencia: Times, how to watch on TV, stream online | LaLiga

I know you want to stay, but if you're keen on finding out how to watch the game as well as follow the AS commentary, then check it out here.

No elbow room for Voro

If the LaLiga table was an actual table, there would be no elbow room for Voro to squeeze in as he pulls up his chair. 

Almería are in 11th with 22 points, and Cádiz are in 18th with 19 points: that is one mushed up table. Any slip up now could prove fatal, especially given Cádiz have got 7 points from 4 games since January (including a win over Valencia) and have just signed 3(!) new strikers.

The top of the table:

As we can see, anything other than a win would be quite disastrous for Real Madrid, especially with Real Sociedad hot on their coat tails, just 3 points behind. 

Barcelona won by a single goal for the 4th consecutive time last night, the first time that has ever happened in their history. Grinding out results that on another day might not go your way generally leads to one thing when you're close to the top... but Real Madrid are, well, Real Madrid. And we know that you can't kill them, even if they're dead. 

Team news: Valencia

Domenech and Nico González are the only confirmed absentees in the squad, with Correia a doubt. 

That's the good news. The bad news is the rest of the squad, injury free as they may be, are terribly out of form and looking for some inspiration. Let's see if Voro can be the man once again to shake things up and get them out of the bad run that is swallowing their confidence by the day.

Team news: Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti has no defenders. They're all injured.

OK, not all of them, but Mendy, Alaba and Lucas are all unavailable, leaving the back 4 to pretty much pick itself. (It should be: Militao, Rüdiger, Nacho, Camavinga).

Luka Modric is expected to return, perhaps in place of Dani Ceballos, who has been excellent in recent weeks.

As for Aurélien Tchouaméni, Carlo confirmed that he will play today.

Valencia: preview

Ah, Valencia... 

Where to begin? First of all, I guess it's best to mention that Gattuso has left the club. Of course, this means that Voro has stepped in for what feels like the 300th time as caretaker coach as they look to avoid slipping into a relegation battle.

They one of four teams with 20 points, are are precariously positioned in 14th, just one point above the relegation zone.

No new signings came through the door at Mestalla despite the Italian wanting a defensive midfielder, prompting a breakdown in the relationship between him and the club. I think it is fair to say that one could have seen something like this coming, as the modern Valencia, unfortunately, never seem too far from a crisis. 

Real Madrid: preview

Real Madrid come into this game with the opportunity to keep up the fight for the LaLiga title, even though the unfailing Barcelona are making it look more and more like a lost cause. 

They are currently 8 points behind their rivals after that 1-2 win over Betis that we saw last night. If they win, the gap will be 5: still a huge obstacle to overcome, but we should never rule out Los Blancos. 

If they lose... in fact, best not to mention that.

Madrid have dropped points in 4 of their last 7 league games; in their last match, a frustrating 0-0 draw against Real Sociedad was possibly their best performance of the season. It's just a shame for them that it was also La Real goalkeeper Remiro's best game of the campaign too.

OK, the good news: Real Madrid haven't lost at home this season, and Valencia have only won 1 of 8 away games this season. 

Hello, hello! 

It's me again (Joe) and I'm here to guide you through the lovely LaLiga action we've got today.

Yum, yum, it's Real Madrid vs Valencia!