Valencia-Real Madrid

Real Madrid wake up late to beat Valencia

Real Madrid won in Valencia thanks to goals from Carreras and Mbappé, but their football remains flat. Handkerchiefs and chants calling for Corberán’s resignation rang out at Mestalla.

David González

Luis Nieto

Director adjunto de As

Update: Feb 8th, 2026 17:45 EST

If we accept the idea that Madrid, punished by their Copa exit, are effectively undergoing a second preseason, then they have started at the wrong end. They are playing matches at a bolero pace, as if there were a full campaign ahead when the final exams have already begun. It worked in Valencia, where they won through an individual and fortunate action from Carreras and yet another goal from Mbappé, but it will not work many more times. The result, which keeps them one point behind Barcelona, was a misleading comfort. A more earthly lineup, forced by the absences of Bellingham, Vinícius and Rodrygo, did not produce a more intense side, and Madrid left Mestalla no better than they arrived. Valencia put in the effort but were never close to scoring. It was not enough. The night ended with a wave of handkerchiefs and widespread calls for coach Carlos Corberán to step down.

The absences stripped the glamour from Madrid and forced Arbeloa to assemble a steelworks midfield, with Valverde, Tchouaméni and Camavinga aligned together. Triple fibre for a team short on creativity and confidence in a stadium that has viewed Madrid as an invader since the days of Mijatović. As expected, Madrid struggled to play out against a Valencia side pressing hard and driven by their crowd.

The defence was also patched together, with academy product David Jiménez starting at right back. Arbeloa did not risk Trent, sidelined for more than two months, nor Carvajal, who had played just 68 minutes since September. Both are far from their best. Up front, he opted for Gonzalo’s instincts over Brahim’s pace, despite Brahim’s strong Africa Cup of Nations.

Corberán, who lost Foulquier late on, went with three centre backs and attacking wing backs Rioja and Gayà, looking to hurt Madrid out wide after their Copa failure, another blow to a fan base far superior to both team and ownership. The 5-4-1 Valencia used without the ball clogged the game and thickened Madrid’s play. Bursts of grit earned a few corners, the closest thing to chances. Between both sides, it was a low-salt match, played horizontally, stirred only by a low, tight-angle shot from Mbappé that Dimitrievski saved with his legs and another effort from the rookie Jiménez, set up by the Frenchman, that met the same fate.

Madrid’s struggles to break through

The feeling lingered that both Valencia and Madrid are close to rock bottom. Corberán’s side because of a lack of personnel. The club has spent years looking at the table without recognising itself and is now in an unfamiliar war economy, fielding the most combative players and hoping Mestalla can lift them. Much the same could be said of Madrid, depleted of quality, without dribblers or surprise, a conformist and monotonously uniform team trying to justify itself through sterile dominance that died at the edge of the box and the odd speculative shot. Madrid had the few chances of the first half, almost all driven by Mbappé, but the same dull tone carried over from Lisbon and the draw with Rayo. The Frenchman assumed responsible leadership with little support. His actions were self-made, without help from flat midfielders and without a clean connection with Gonzalo, a striker more about moments than continuity.

The first half drifted close to a slog, which suits Arbeloa’s team poorly at this stage, even more so when the Bernabéu crowd is growing increasingly restless.

Handkerchiefs out in protest

The break did not unlock the game. Madrid showed little sense of urgency despite the table. They stuck to foot-to-foot football, heavy on possession and light on incision. Valencia waited for a break but always stalled on the penultimate pass, lacking technical quality up front to properly support Lucas Beltrán, an intense and willing player but short on goals.

Mbappé, who had sent a pointed message in Lisbon, tried to lead by example, drifting away from the box in search of a gap, but it was someone else that ultimately found it. Carreras surged down the left, cut inside, benefited from a deflection and finished right-footed, wrong-footing Dimitrievski. It was not refined or clean, but it rewarded the first true adventurer of the match. Luck favours those who go looking for it.

The goal woke everyone up. Valencia first, hitting the post through Beltrán. Then Corberán, who removed a centre back with his changes because there was nothing left to protect. Finally Madrid, who found the space that had previously eluded them. Arbeloa introduced Trent and Brahim to exploit it. Chances followed. Mbappé missed a glaring one but made no mistake with the next, assisted by Brahim, to seal it. By then, Mestalla had turned on Corberán, even more so when he substituted Beltrán, Valencia’s best player. Patience, and perhaps hope, are running out in this long-suffering stadium.

1 Dimitrievski
24 Eray Cömert
4 Unai Núñez (71')
3 Copete
14 Gayá
11 Luis Rioja (81')
23 Filip Ugrinic (80')
7 Arnaut Danjuma
18 Pepelu (71')
15 Lucas Beltran (81')
9 Hugo Duro -
Substitutes
13 Cristian Rivero
10 Andre Almeida
5 César Tárrega
6 Sadiq (81') SC
19 Raba
22 Baptiste Santamaria
16 Diego López
12 Thierry Correia (71') -
8 Javi Guerra (80') SC
17 Ramazani (81') SC
2 Guido Rodríguez (71') -
21 Vazquez Alcalde

1 Courtois
35 David Jiménez (76')
18 Álvaro Carreras
24 Dean Huijsen
17 Raúl Asencio
15 Arda Guler (81')
14 Tchouameni
8 Federico Valverde (91')
6 Camavinga
10 Kylian Mbappe
16 Gonzalo García (75')
Substitutes
19 Dani Ceballos
21 Brahim Diaz (75')
13 Andriy Lunin
2 Dani Carvajal
43 Sergio Mestre
20 Fran Garcia
22 Rüdiger
28 Jorge Cestero (91')
12 Trent Alexander-Arnold (76')
30 Franco Mastantuono (81') SC
4 Alaba

Substitutions

Guido Rodríguez (71', Pepelu), Thierry Correia (71', Unai Núñez), Brahim Díaz (75', Gonzalo García), Trent Alexander-Arnold (76', David Jiménez), Javi Guerra (80', Filip Ugrinic), Franco Mastantuono (81', Arda Güler), Largie Ramazani (81', Luis Rioja), Umar Sadiq (81', Lucas Beltrán), Jorge Cestero (91', Federico Valverde)

Goals

0-1, 64': Álvaro Carreras, 0-2, 90': Kylian Mbappe

Cards

Referee: Javier Alberola Rojas
VAR Referee: Jorge Figueroa Vázquez, Rubén Ávalos Barrera
Álvaro Carreras (68',Yellow), Copete (87',Yellow)

Standings