Villarreal vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Real Madrid slumped to a third La Liga defeat of the season on Sunday as they fell to Villarreal 1-0 at the Madrigal.
Roberto Soldado's early strike proved a winner, with the hosts holding on a little late on as they weathered the storm. Fortunately, their task was aided by a horrific day in front of goal for Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Cedric Bakambu, Villarreal
1 of 5
Cedric Bakambu is a veritable whirlwind of a striker, storming forward in unstoppable physical fashion. His performance on Sunday hardly spoke of technical perfection, but he was mightily effective moving forward.
It’s usually he who finishes off moves following good work from Roberto Soldado, but this time they swapped roles. His quick pass into his team-mate following Bruno Soriano’s excellent tackle on Luka Modric created the game’s only goal.
In the opening minutes he stormed past four players then teed up Jonathan Dos Santos to hit the post, and later he beat Pepe with ease over the top before dragging a finish wide. The 24-year-old was a constant thorn in the Galacticos’ side.
Loser: Karim Benzema, Real Madrid
2 of 5
As bad as Real Madrid were in the first half, they did dominate for long sections of the second and up the ante in terms of chance creation. Service improved, crossing improved...but the finishing did not.
The chief culprit here was Karim Benzema, who missed several gilt-edged chances to draw Los Blancos level. His free header directed well wide following a great cross from Gareth Bale was the pick of the lot.
Given how clinical he was last week against Getafe, this comes as something of a shock.
Winner: Jonathan Dos Santos, Villarreal
3 of 5
Jonathan Dos Santos put in an excellent all-round performance on Sunday night to help keep Real Madrid in check.
The first half saw him bustling forward with regularity, beating Marcelo with ease on at least three occasions and hitting the post early on. The second period saw him buckle down defensively, blocking and tackling whatever he could, and help Eric Bailly weather the onslaught.
A Dos Santos-Denis Suarez wing combo looks by far the best available to Villarreal manager Marcelino Toral. For some reason JDS has fallen from automatic-starter status, but this performance should remind the manager of his excellent qualities.
Loser: Pepe, Real Madrid
4 of 5
Pepe’s had a rough season, and it’s arguable no game will depict his struggles better than this loss to Villarreal.
Put simply, he was torched by Cedric Bakambu over and over. He was beaten for pace and strength regularly, and some of his passing looked atrocious, misfiring in key areas.
On one particular occasion he was eased to the floor while trying to snatch the ball off Eric Bailly when breaking from a corner, leaving him trailing in the wake of a player who isn’t that fast.
Winner: Bruno Soriano, Villarreal
5 of 5
“Bruno Soriano monstrous again in central midfield for Villarreal today,” B/R’s Karl Matchett tweeted after the game. “Works hard, used ball really well and takes great defensive positions.”
The ever-green pass-master was indeed a top performer, notably nicking the ball off Luka Modric high up and feeding Cedric Bakambu quickly for the winning goal.
He defended well and used the ball intelligently, passing smartly and constructing good counter-attacks.
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