Jude Bellingham made amends for missing a penalty by snatching 10-man Real Madrid a 2-1 victory at Valencia on Friday to take them top of La Liga after winger Vinicius Junior was sent off.

Advertisment

Huro Duro sent the hosts ahead in the first half of a feisty clash but Luka Modric levelled for Carlo Ancelotti's side before Bellingham pounced in stoppage time.

Also read | Mohamed Salah hints at Liverpool exit, says 'my last year at the club'

Vinicius, who squared off with Valencia supporters who racially abused him at the same stadium in 2022, was dismissed for shoving Los Che goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski in the back of the neck with little over 10 minutes remaining.

Advertisment

Madrid were trailing at the time but Bellingham set up veteran midfielder Modric to level in the 85th minute and spark a superb comeback.

Bellingham broke in to strike in the 96th minute after a Valencia defensive error, sending Madrid two points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top of the table, having played a game more than Diego Simeone's team.

"(Bellingham had a) great game, he didn't dip after the missed penalty, it gave him extra motivation," said Ancelotti. "He made an extraordinary effort... (scoring) was a reward for him for the game he had."

Advertisment

Ancelotti said he did not think Vinicius' push deserved a red card and was surprised by his team's poor start to the match.

"We didn't think it was a red card... he went off and the team reacted, to the red, the missed penalty.

"It's hard to explain how badly we did in the first half and how good we did in the second, even with 10 men.

"It's three very important points, deserved, but we can't show these two sides (of ourselves)."

Los Blancos' trip to face Valencia was postponed at the end of October after devastating flooding in the region on Spain's east coast.

Sitting 19th, Valencia appointed Carlos Corberan to replace former coach Ruben Baraja during the winter break, pinching the Spaniard from English Championship club West Bromwich Albion.

The hosts made a strong start, shackling Madrid's star-studded attack before making the breakthrough after 27 minutes.

Dimitri Foulquier cut the ball back for Javi Guerra, whose shot was superbly saved by Thibaut Courtois but Duro turned the rebound into the empty net.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.