Valencia vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Valencia and Real Madrid played to a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Mestalla on Sunday that saw plenty of end-to-end action, especially in the final 10 minutes.
Karim Benzema opened the scoring for the visitors in the 17th minute on a beautiful attacking move that included a backheel pass from Gareth Bale and a no-look delivery from Cristiano Ronaldo. The first Valencia equalizer came right before half-time as Dani Parejo scored from the spot.
Just as Real Madrid appeared to clinch three points through a Bale header in the 82nd minute, Paco Alcacer nodded home the game-tying goal from close range moments later.
The draw moved Real Madrid two points behind second-placed Barcelona in the league table and four adrift of Atletico Madrid in the title race. Valencia moved into 10th with their one point earned at home.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from the exciting four-goal affair that closed out the weekend in La Liga.
Winner: Karim Benzema
1 of 5
Karim Benzema opened the wild contest in Valencia with his ninth goal in six matches for Real Madrid.
The Frenchman started the attacking move with a pass to Gareth Bale from the center of the field. The former Tottenham Hotspur man sent a backheel pass in the direction of Cristiano Ronaldo, who then found Benzema with a no-look pass in tight space.
The strike appeared to set the tone for Los Blancos, since Rafa Benitez's men were in complete control of the match for the first 35 minutes.
However, things eventually went south for Benzema and his teammates. Real Madrid dropped two points on the road and Benzema left the pitch in frustration in the 66th minute, when he was substituted for Lucas Vazquez.
Loser: Mateo Kovacic
2 of 5
For 68 minutes of Sunday's match, Mateo Kovacic earned rave reviews for his play in the middle of the park.
That was all forgotten in the 69th minute as he went in with his studs up during a sliding challenge against Joao Cancelo.
The clear red card came seconds after Real Madrid came out on the wrong end of a controversial no-call in the penalty area. With Valencia breaking down the pitch, Kovacic took his frustration out on Cancelo in the tackle and cost his team plenty of momentum.
With Kovacic ejected, Real Madrid switched up their game plan a bit, and they were left exposed on a few occasions in the waning moments of the contest.
Winner: Gareth Bale
3 of 5
Gareth Bale also extended his fine attacking form into Sunday as he played a key role in setting up the first Real Madrid goal and scored the second.
With his team in need of a game-winner in the 82nd minute, the Welshman rose above the defense and headed a Toni Kroos free-kick into the left side of the net from the right side of the penalty area.
Bale was one of the best players on the pitch, especially in the final third, where Ronaldo was eerily quiet for most of the 90 minutes.
For Real Madrid to claw back into the title race before Atletico Madrid and Barcelona pull too far away, Bale and Benzema must continue to score goals and hope the defense improves.
Loser: Aymen Abdennour
4 of 5
During Real Madrid's 35-minute spell of total control in the first half, Aymen Abdennour looked out of place on a few occasions.
The center-back, who joined Los Che from Monaco in the summer, failed to keep up with the pace of the Real Madrid attackers and made a crucial giveaway that led to the first goal.
Abdennour gave the ball away to Benzema outside of the box in the 17th minute. In the seconds following the poor play by the center-back, Real Madrid produced a world-class goal that put them ahead.
If Valencia are going to succeed under Gary Neville for the rest of the season, Abdennour must improve on his defending when he is on the pitch.
Winner: Andre Gomes
5 of 5
Andre Gomes was one of a few players in the Valencia attack who caused plenty of trouble to the Real Madrid back line.
In the 45th minute, Gomes surged into the left side of the box and earned a penalty after Pepe brought him down. The spot kick earned by the Portugal international gave Valencia momentum and confidence heading into the second half.
Over the final 45 minutes, Gomes continued to threaten the Real Madrid defense that looked shaky during some key moments.
With players like Gomes, Rodrigo De Paul, Paco Alcacer and Cancelo combining well in attack, Valencia should get their first victory under Neville sooner rather than later.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
