Benzema powers Real Madrid past Valladolid after late drama
The reigning European champions knew that victory was vital in order to keep pressure on rivals Barcelona, who sat two points above them as the Madrid players strolled out onto the Estadio José Zorrilla turf.
Despite the absence of Luka Modrić, Eduardo Camavinga, and Aurelién Tchouaméni after their involvement in the latter stages of the FIFA World Cup, Los Blancos dominated the opening stages and Marco Asensio saw his early effort impressively thwarted by Jordi Masip.
The newly-promoted hosts have been one of La Liga’s surprise packages this season by sitting with a six-point cushion to the drop zone ahead of this contest.
They managed to regain composure as the half progressed and Álvaro Aguado forced Thibaut Courtois into a stunning stop with 10 first-half minutes remaining.
Karim Benzema, who was injured ahead of France’s World Cup campaign, found himself mostly limited in the opening period by a stubborn Valladolid backline, though he perhaps should have done better when blazing one of his few first-half efforts over the bar.
Los Blancos looked like a team who knew exactly what was at stake as they went furiously in search of the lead in the second half.
They failed to gain much traction against an unrelenting Pucela side with Vinícius Júnior showing only flashes of his ability down the left side as he beat three men before chipping over the bar with almost 70 minutes gone.
Prior to that opportunity, Valladolid frontman Sergio León drew another fine save from Courtois, who was arguably one of Madrid’s better performers on the night.
León met a corner with a blistering header, but the Belgian stopper was equal to it, showing his importance to a side that is often famed for their attacking output.
It was perhaps unsurprising that the hosts dropped deep in order to preserve what could be a vital point. Unfortunately for the anxious home faithful, there would be late drama however when a penalty was given to Real thanks to a handball in the penalty box, before León saw red for dissent in the aftermath.
Having been handed spot-kick duties, Benzema duly tucked away before adding an emphatic second, which felt cruel even by football’s standards, rubbing salt in the wounds of the Pucela.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
