Valencia vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga Game
Real Madrid's 22-match winning streak came to an end in the first La Liga game back after the winter break, as they surrendered an early lead to lose 2-1 away to Valencia on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty opener came against the run of play and, after Andre Gomes had gone close twice for Valencia, the home side finally equalised when Jose Gaya's driving run infield set up a deflected goal for Antonio Barragan. Nicolas Otamendi headed in the winner before Real Madrid spurned a few chances to equalise late on.
Here are all of our winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Nicolas Otamendi
1 of 5
It was a fantastic, battling performance from La Liga's top centre-back this season, at both ends. Nicolas Otamendi was our No. 1 defender in the player rankings before the winter break, and he showed exactly why in the win over Real Madrid.
The Argentine was ferocious in the challenge but also accurate and timely, stopping the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo in his tracks and making any number of last-ditch tackles and headers inside his own box.
He also thumped in a powerful header to win the match in the second half and showed terrific leadership and fighting spirit to ensure the three points.
Loser: Gareth Bale
2 of 5
Gareth Bale had a particularly poor game for Real Madrid at Valencia.
Starting off on the right, the Welsh winger wasn't heavily involved in the first half, as Valencia had more of the better attacks, and he couldn't find the space to get in behind Antonio Barragan.
Things didn't get much better, as he continually moaned at the referee every time there was a challenge made on him. He also faffed about with a great scoring chance, which resulted in a big missed opportunity at 1-1, and was subbed with Real looking for an equalising goal.
Winner: Nuno's Tactical Switch
3 of 5
Valencia manager Nuno switched just before the winter break from the usual 4-2-3-1 to play a 3-5-2 system, which continued here against Real Madrid and brought great benefits.
The three-man defence managed to nullify the runs infield of Cristiano Ronaldo, while the midfield lineup battled hard off the ball for space to close down Real's players and to support the attack. The two-pronged front line also gave no time on the ball to Real's defenders.
Earlier this season, they were too withdrawn and too negative at times, but this game saw them attack with belief and aggression at the start of each half and remain compact and hard-working throughout.
During his post-match press conference, Nuno said the following about his system:
"The system that we used today allows us a lot of strength in attack, because we can play with two strikers.
We still need to work on it to get it fine-tuned. I believe that the versatility of the two systems that we can use offers a lot to us.
"
Nuno suggests his system is a work in progress. If he can get it as he wants it, a challenge for a place in the top four—and the riches of Champions League football that come with it—is surely on the cards.
Loser: James Rodriguez
4 of 5
Like Bale, James Rodriguez had no real impact on the game, but he was far more wasteful with possession as he received the ball centrally a lot, especially in the first half when Real were leading.
The Colombian couldn't make his driving runs as Los Che packed out the centre of the pitch and defended resolutely. He also failed to make ground into the penalty box to be an extra attacking presence looking to score.
Sunday was not one of his finest performances.
Winner: Diego Alves
5 of 5
Diego Alves might have conceded a penalty, but beyond that, he was excellent with his taking of high balls and delivery. Right near the end of the game, he made a fine double-handed save to deny Isco after he hadn't really been called upon to make many spectacular saves for some time.
Alves suffered a couple of early injuries after colliding with opponents, but he recovered to put in another dominant display. He deserved to be on the winning team Sunday.
