4th January 2025 – (Madrid) Real Madrid overcame a one-goal deficit and played with ten men to clinch a 2-1 victory against struggling Valencia on Friday night, propelling them to the top of La Liga.
Valencia initially took the lead in the 26th minute when Hugo Duro finished from close range after Thibaut Courtois parried a powerful shot from Javi Guerra. It was a deserved goal for Valencia, who had started positively under new coach Carlos Corberlan, replacing Ruben Baraja.
Despite their early advantage, Valencia faced challenges, especially in the second half. Jude Bellingham struck the post from a penalty in the 55th minute after Kylian Mbappe was fouled, and shortly thereafter, Mbappe’s goal was disallowed for a marginal offside as Madrid pressed for an equaliser.
The situation worsened for Madrid when Vinicius Jr was sent off in the 77th minute for an aggressive incident involving Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski. The forward’s reaction towards the referee could lead to a lengthy suspension.
However, Madrid rallied despite being a man down. Bellingham assisted Luka Modric to equalise with just six minutes remaining. The decisive moment came deep into injury time when Bellingham capitalised on a catastrophic mix-up between Valencia defenders Dimitri Foulquier and Hugo Guillamon to score the winning goal.
In the dying moments of the match, Valencia’s Luis Rioja struck the post, but it was too late for a comeback.
In other Copa del Rey action, fourth-tier Pontevedra pulled off a stunning upset by defeating last season’s finalists Mallorca 3-0. Dalisson de Almeida opened the scoring with a magnificent effort in the 21st minute, and second-half goals from Yelko Pino and Rufo Sanchez sealed an impressive victory.
Getafe edged past Granada in a tightly contested match, with Borja Mayoral scoring in extra time thanks to Bertug Yidirim’s assist in the 93rd minute. Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano secured a 3-1 win over Racing Ferrol, with Jorge de Frutos netting twice after Alfonso Espina had opened the scoring with a stunning long-range strike. Ferrol’s consolation goal came late in the match as Rayo cruised to victory.
