Real Madrid thwarted top rival Girona and defeated it 3-0 away from home to regain the top spot in the Spanish Premier League, with goals from Joselu, Aurelien Tchoamini and Jude Bellingham on Saturday.
Real raised its score to 21 points from eight matches, one point ahead of Barcelona, which beat its guest Sevilla 1-0 yesterday, Friday, while Girona fell to third place.
Girona started brightly and could have scored twice in the first five minutes, but Yankel Herrera’s header went over the bar from close range before Viktor Tsyhankov headed another header against the post.
After absorbing the hosts’ enthusiasm, Real took the lead in the 17th minute through Joselu from a simple follow-up to Bellingham’s cross with the outside of his foot.
Four minutes later, Tshwamini doubled the lead with a header after he evaded marking during a corner kick taken by Toni Kroos.
Bellingham should have scored in the 28th minute after he raced towards goal, but his efforts were thwarted by goalkeeper Paolo Gazzaniga.
Kroos also tested Gazzaniga’s abilities before the break with a wonderful shot that the Argentine goalkeeper cleared over the crossbar.
Girona did not give up and continued the pressure in the second half and came close to scoring with an Irrera header that went over the goal.
Girona’s resolve declined when they conceded the third goal in the 71st minute, when Joselu’s rising ball reached Bellingham to score his seventh goal in all competitions and complete Real’s victory.
Bellingham said, “I feel great. I have freedom of movement and I enjoy playing. Wherever I wear this shirt, I always try to give the best I can.”
Real benefited from the return of Vinicius Junior, who appeared active in the first half after recovering from a muscle injury, before leaving in the 68th minute.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti told Real Madrid TV, “It was a strong and convincing match. We defended well and we knew they could cause us damage with the ball. They are a brilliant team and it is important to defend tightly against them and we did that.”
Ancelotti’s team was hit in a moment of madness by Nacho in stoppage time when he intervened violently against Porto, and he initially received a yellow card before it turned into red after a video review.
Girona coach Mitchell Sanchez told the Dazon platform, “Ancelotti is a polite man. He told me that he did not understand Nacho’s reaction after the 3-0 lead… He asked us for forgiveness. It was an illogical obstruction in light of this result and with one minute remaining.”
Real will travel to Italy to face Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday, then host Osasuna next Saturday, while Girona will meet Cadiz next week.
2023-09-30 22:42:37
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