Real Madrid come back and dispel doubts against Villarreal

Real Madrid come back and dispel doubts against Villarreal

Ceballos leads the great white reaction to turn around a 0-2 loss in the second half and advance to the quarterfinals in the Cup

MADRID, 19 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Real Madrid suffered this Thursday to get the last ticket to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey after beating Villarreal (2-3) at La Cerámica, after a frantic game that they had to come back from in the second half, thanks to a sensational Ceballos who scored the final goal with four minutes remaining.

The Madrid team once again had that 'spark' in attack to put an end to doubts and turn around a game that went uphill at half-time. The goals from Capoue and Chukwueze in the first half were not enough to break a Real Madrid team that knew how to react.

Led by a great Ceballos, the goals from Vinicius, Militao and the Sevillian himself at the end served to scare away the ghosts of the defeat in the Super Cup final against Barça in Saudi Arabia and put an end to a great Villarreal, with whom he also had pending accounts. The whites took revenge for the last defeat (2-1) in the league, also at La Cerámica.

Carlo Ancelotti introduced two changes with respect to the eleven in the Super Cup final. Nacho returned in defense before Carvajal was dropped and Rodrygo reappeared up top, with Valverde delaying his position to the inside position due to Modric's absence. A determined bet that was blown up as soon as the match started.

Thus, before reaching five minutes of play, the 'Yellow Submarine' was already leading the score. Gerard Moreno leaked a ball after a long throw-in from Foyth so that Capoue, without thinking twice, connected a powerful shot from the side of the area against which Courtois could do little or nothing.

A great start to the game in the renovated stadium of a well-established Villarreal who, after the goal, reduced his line of pressure by a couple of meters. The white team took advantage of this retreat to take a step forward, but the 'groguet' threat continued to be a torture for the white defense, unable to stop the counterattacks launched by Gerard Moreno and company.

Although the white team tried through Valverde, with a shot that went high, and with Rodrygo, who crashed his shot from the penalty spot in Pau Torres, the 'Yellow Submarine' struck again to KO those from Carlo Ancelotti before leaving for the locker room. Gerard Moreno served a filtered pass to Chukwueze on a tray, who did not fail in his one-on-one with Courtois.

Aware of the bad image shown so far, the white team came out more connected after the restart, thanks in part to the entry of Asensio and Ceballos into the midfield. It was precisely the former Betis player who, on the first ball he touched, managed to put a good ball into the space that Vinicius took advantage of to send it to save and get his team back into the game.

Good minutes for the whites to begin to subdue a Villarreal who had to arm themselves in defence. Even so, the white insistence was too much for a 'groguet' team that saw how the madridistas passed over them to overcome the match. Once again Ceballos was once again decisive with a cross that Benzema did not connect well, but that Militao caught on the rebound to make it 2-2.

With barely five minutes left in regulation time, the Sevillian waved his wand again to deal the final blow. Asensio managed to connect a back pass so that the midfielder took a shot close to the right post. Tremendous reaction from the whites to finish defining a match that they had lost at half-time and put out the near crisis. DATA SHEET.

--RESULT: VILLARREAL, 2 - REAL MADRID, 3. (2-0, at halftime).

VILLARREAL: Jörgensen; Foyth (Mandi, min.52), Albiol (Cuenca, min.46), Pau Torres, Alberto Moreno; Even, Capoue; Chukwueze, Baena, Yeremy Pino (Morales, min.68); Gerard Moreno.

REAL MADRID: Courtois; Militao, Nacho, Rüdiger, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos (Ceballos, min.56), Camavinga; Rodrygo (Asensio, min.56), Benzema and Vinicius.

0-1. Min.4, Capoue.

0-2. Min.42, Chukwueze.

1-2. Min.57, Vinicius.

2-2. Min.69, Militao.

2-3. Min.86, Ceballos.

--REFEREE: Jesus Gil Manzano. He admonished Capoue (min.8), Reina (min.80), Baena (min.85), Pau Torres (min.88) and Parejo (min.95) by Villarreal, and Camavinga (min.36), to Valverde (min.72), Vinicius (min.90) and Rudiguer (min.93) by Real Madrid.

--STADIUM: La Cerámica.