Real Madrid vs. Valencia: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Real Madrid remained alive in the La Liga title race on Sunday as they held on to a 3-2 win over Valencia at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a brace for the hosts, while Karim Benzema found the back of the net during a controversial sequence that began with the Frenchman in an offside position.
Valencia powered back in the second half through strikes from Rodrigo and Andre Gomes, but their momentum was killed in the 83rd minute, when Rodrigo was mysteriously sent off.
Real Madrid enter the final day of the 2015-16 campaign one point behind Barcelona, who are their only rivals for the championship after Atletico Madrid's loss to Levante on Sunday.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from Real Madrid's tight win over Valencia.
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
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In Sunday's victory over Valencia, Cristiano Ronaldo recorded his first multi-goal performance in league play since March 5, per ESPN Stats and Info.
The Portuguese star struck for the first time in the 26th minute as he raced around Aymen Abdennour and rolled a shot into the bottom-left part of the net.
Four minutes after Valencia moved within one of the hosts for the first time, the 31-year-old latched onto a beautiful assist from James Rodriguez.
Ronaldo's pair of tallies kept Real Madrid in the title race heading into the final day of the season, but the superstar seems to be out of contention for the Pichichi since Luis Suarez scored a pair in Barcelona's win over Espanyol.
Loser: Rodrigo
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Rodrigo was at the center of a red card controversy late in the second half.
Just a few minutes after Valencia inched back within one of the hosts for the second time in the match, the midfielder received a straight red from the referee.
Rodrigo was apparently sent off for something that was said to either a Real Madrid player or one of the officials. After the decision was made, the Valencia man and his teammates stood in confusion.
The ejection killed all of the momentum gained by Valencia following Andre Gomes' 81st-minute strike and it allowed Real Madrid to finish off the contest without a threat from the visitors.
Winner: Kiko Casilla
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Kiko Casilla played a vital role in keeping Real Madrid's title dream alive as he made a few terrific saves in the second half.
The top denial from the backup netminder came in the 72nd minute as he stopped a Paco Alcacer shot with a diving effort.
One minute before Gomes delivered his thunderous strike into the right side of the net, Casilla stopped Rodrigo from close range.
Although he let in a pair of second-half tallies, Casilla did enough to keep Real Madrid in the lead. The 29-year-old's display in net let Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane know that he has a solid reserve option to plug onto the pitch when Keylor Navas is unable to play.
Loser: Aymen Abdennour
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Abdennour's 45-minute spell on the field at the Bernabeu was one to forget.
The former Monaco man was beat by Ronaldo in the buildup to the first Real Madrid goal and he left the pitch before half-time with a knock.
The rough start for the center-back and the rest of the Valencia back line meant they were unable to play the role of spoiler like Levante did against Atletico Madrid in the race for first in La Liga.
Winner: Karim Benzema
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The first of two controversial calls in the match came in the buildup to Karim Benzema's 42nd-minute goal.
The Frenchman was in an offside position in the seconds before his first attempt during the attacking sequence. To the dismay of the Valencia players, the move continued with the referee's approval and the 28-year-old handed Los Blancos a two-goal advantage.
Benzema remained active throughout the rest of the match as he sent three of his five shots in the direction of the net, per WhoScored.
If Real Madrid want to pose a challenge to Barcelona on the final day of the season, Benzema and Ronaldo must be firing on all cylinders in the final third against Deportivo La Coruna.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
