Real Madrid defeated Valencia 0-3 at Mestalla on Saturday in the twelfth round of La Liga, according to Fanatik. Fede Valverde opened the scoring, Arda Güler doubled the lead before half-time, and Kylian Mbappé added a third after Valencia were reduced to ten men. The result sends Real Madrid into the international break on a winning run.
Why it matters
The three points keep Real Madrid's momentum going at a stage of the season when dropped points away from home can be costly. Fanatik reported before kick-off that Real Madrid sat third on 27 points and were chasing a fifth consecutive win, while Valencia were nineteenth with 8 points and hoping to climb out of the relegation zone. The gap between the two sides showed on the pitch, and the defeat leaves Valencia's position near the bottom unchanged.
The match also underlined Güler's importance to Real Madrid. Turkish outlets Sözcü Gazetesi and Haber 7 both focused on his performance, with Sözcü describing his recent run of form as remarkable over the last six games. On this evidence, he is not a peripheral figure but a player his team leans on in away fixtures.
How the goals arrived
Real Madrid took the lead from a set piece. Mbappé took a free kick from the left, his effort was blocked, and the loose ball fell to Valverde, who struck it first time into the net to make it 1-0, Fanatik reported.
The second came shortly before the interval. Jude Bellingham carried the ball into the box from the left and his cross was deflected by the defence into the path of Güler, who finished to double the advantage. The referee's whistle for half-time followed with the score at 0-2.
Mbappé sealed the result in the second half. Güler, working on the right, played a fine pass that put Mbappé through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and he converted to make it 3-0.
Valencia had their chances and their goalkeeper, Dimitrievski, kept the margin from growing. He denied Bellingham after the midfielder drove into the area and shot. He also stopped Mbappé after another Güler pass sent him in behind the defence, and he kept out Güler himself when Valverde's excellent ball released him and the midfielder tried to round the keeper. Earlier, Güler had shot from outside the box after a Bernardo pass but could not beat Dimitrievski.
Valencia thought they had scored through Haas, who finished after Tarrega headed down a Guerra corner from outside the area, but the assistant referee raised the offside flag.
The red card that ended Valencia's resistance
The decisive disciplinary moment came in the eightieth minute. Mbappé received a pass from Diomande and went down under a heavy challenge from Gayà. The referee showed Gayà a straight red card, leaving Valencia with ten men for the closing stages, according to Fanatik.
The dismissal removed any realistic route back into the game for the hosts and came just as Real Madrid were pressing for further goals. It also capped a difficult evening for a Valencia side that had already conceded twice before the break.
Lineups and the wider picture
Fanatik reported the starting lineups. Valencia began with Dimitrievski in goal and a back line including Martinez, Tarrega, Pepelu and Gayà, with Rodriguez, Maffeo, Mayol, Guerra, Rioja and Sadiq also starting. Real Madrid started Courtois, with Valverde, Konate, Huijsen and Cucurella in defence, Tchouameni and Bernardo in midfield, Güler, Bellingham and Diomande supporting Mbappé.
Tchouameni and Güler were both included for this fixture after being left out of the squad for Real Madrid's Champions League match against AEK, Fanatik noted.
Before the match, Valencia coach Aguirre said his team needed no extra motivation to face one of the best sides in the world and hoped they would produce a good performance. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, quoted by Fanatik, described the fixture as difficult but said his side would not dramatise the situation.
Next up is the international break, after which Real Madrid will look to extend their winning sequence and Valencia will resume their attempt to move clear of the bottom of the table.
