Valencia have possession in these latter stages and have just been awarded a free kick around 35 yards out as Sergio Ramos clips Piatti. Parejo clips a cross into the box from the set-piece, but Madrid manage to clear at the second attempt through Kovacic!
89'
Three minutes of added time have been signaled by the referee here, which catalyses a nervous groan from the Santiago Bernabeu faithful. Atletico Madrid are currently 2-1 down against Levante, so if Real Madrid can hold on for this three points it could be potentially massive in the title race.
87'
We are at the business end of this game now and if Valencia do actually come back to make the scoreline all-square at 3-3, then Real Madrid have nobody to blame but themselves. Some suicidal defending at key moments from Los Blancos has gifted the visitors a route back into contention, but time is on their side!
86'
P. Piatti enters the game and replaces E. Pérez.
Enzo Perez makes way for Pablo Piatti.
83'
Rodrigo goes off after a red card!
Just under 10 minutes to go here and that goal from Andre Gomes has certainly put the cat amongst the pidgeons at Santiago Bernabeu. Ronaldo has obviously been out with injury recently, but perhaps it was slightly premature for Zidane to withdraw him for Arbeloa with quite a decent period of time left in the match? Valencia's tails are up here!
Well, in quite bizarre circumstances, Rodrigo is shown a red card by the referee after receiving the ball to feet from a throw-in with absolutely nobody surrounding him. Nobody knows why that has been given apart from the official, but you get the feeling it may have been for some kind of dissent, perhaps aimed at the linesman?
81'
André Gomes has scored a goal for Valencia! Assist by Dani Parejo.
Neat assist for Parejo.
GOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLL FOR VALENCIA! WHAT A STRIKE FROM ANDRE GOMES! The substitute receives the ball to feet from Parejo before guiding a stunning shot high into the top corner after cutting inside on his right foot! Are we in for a climactic finish here?! Three-two!
79'
Arbeloa enters the game and replaces Cristiano Ronaldo.
Third and final substitution from Los Blancos here, and it is one that certainly has a sentimental touch. Entering the action is Alvaro Arbeloa, who is making his last appearance in the Santiago Bernabeu due to being out of contract in the summer at 33-years-old, and he will replace Ronaldo. A warm applause greets the substitute, as the Madrid fans thank him for his service.
77'
It looks like Zidane is doing the intelligent thing here as he opts to take no chances with that Vazquez injury, with the winger now coming off to be replaced by Jese, who embraces his compatriot before entering the action.
76'
Jesé enters the game and replaces Lucas Vázquez.
75'
A SITTER FROM ANDRE GOMES! Santi Mina does superbly down the left-hand side to take on Danilo before hitting the byline and teeing up his fellow substitute around 10 yards out. However, the resulting attempt on goal is ballooned high and wide over the crossbar!
Minute
Description
74'
Vazquez eventually shakes off the problem to re-enter the action.
73'
Some worrying scenes for Real Madrid here as Vazquez is currently down injured after an overzealous tackle from Perez near the corner flag. James is actually due to come off, but it is unclear if that substitution is still going to be made as the former Espanyol man is just receiving treatment from the physios.
71'
SUPERB GOALKEEPING FROM CASILLA! Siqueira finds some space down the left wing and takes advantage to whip a fabulous cross bouncing in to the six-yard box. Alcacer is typicaly sniffing around for scraps, but before he can get the shot away, the Madrid keeper dives at his feet to make the vital block, which eventually results in a corner-kick.
69'
Javi Fuego gets yellow.
Another Valencia booking now and Javi Fuego was always going to see his name go into the book with some of the tackles he has attempted tonight. The referee finally has enough and brandishes the yellow after a cynical challenge to take out Vazquez, who had previously done him for pace.
67'
Ronaldo has a great opportunity to claim his hat-trick as he runs in behind the Valencia defence, only to slam his subsequent strike disappointingly into the side-netting. Fortunately for him, the linesman already had his flag up so the goal wouldn't have counted anyway.
65'
M. Kovačić enters the game and replaces K. Benzema.
First change of the match from Zidane and it sees Benzema, who netted the second goal for Madrid with that controversial close-range strike, trudge off the pitch to be replaced by Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian has basically lived on the bench this season, so he will be hoping to make an impression here with a decent portion of play left.
63'
Just under a third of the match remaining here in the Spanish capital and with the way things are going, you get the feeling we are in store for more goals this evening. Valencia are effectively playing for nothing here, but will still be eager to ensure a strong end to the campaign considering how poor their season has been, while Madrid are still pursuing the Liga title.
61'
TERRIFIC SAVE FROM CASILLA! Parejo, who was so unlucky with that free-kick attempt a few moments ago, attempts to claw another one back for Valencia with a drilled strike aimed at the bottom left corner, but the Madrid's number two stretches out a strong hand to tip behind for a corner!
59'
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by J. Rodríguez.
A perfect pass in behind from James eventually sees Ronaldo restore the two-goal lead for Madrid.
GOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLL FOR REAL MADRID! WHAT A RESPONSE FROM LOS BLANCOS! James threads a penetrating pass in behind the Valencia defence for Ronaldo, who opens up his stride forward before lifting a clever strike into the roof of the net over the oncoming Alves! Three-one! It is raining goals in the Santiago Bernabeu!
57'
SAVE FROM DIEGO ALVES! Vazquez drives forward down the right-hand side with pace and moves into the box with Siqueira at left-back nowhere to be seen! The Madrid winger decides against picking out Ronaldo or Benzema and smashes a strike at goal, but it proves to be comfortable enough for the Valencia stopper, who pounces on the attempt with ease.
55'
Rodrigo has scored a goal for Valencia!
GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLL FOR VALENCIA! THE VISITORS ARE BACK IN IT! Varane attempts to clear the ball at the front post only to fail miserably, with possession going straight to the feet of Rodrigo. The former Benfica man makes no mistake with the chance and fires a brilliant strike into the top right corner, despite Marcelo's best efforts to clear on the line! Two-one! GAME ON!
54'
VALENCIA HIT THE BAR! From the resulting Casemiro foul, Parejo steps up to hit a spectacular free-kick up and over the Madrid wall, but it just doesn't dip enough in time and ends up crashing off the top of the woodwork! So very unlucky, but Real Madrid survive!
52'
Casemiro gets yellow.
First booking of the match for Real Madrid here and it comes to Casemiro after coming righ through the back of Alcacer around 25 yards out in what is an extremely poor tackle. He rightfully sees his name go into the book, as Los Che get the free-kick opportunity.
50'
SAVE FROM DIEGO ALVES! Some poor work from Perez 25 yards out allows Madrid to pounce and win possession in a dangerous area. The ball eventually comes to Benzema, who goes for his second goal of the match with a lashed strike towards the bottom corner, only to be thwarted by the Valencia stopper.
48'
Those changes will likely see a change in formation from Pako Ayestaran and his men, but at the moment it is unclear exactly what format the line-up is in at the moment. As soon as it becomes more prominent we'll provide an update, but at the moment Valencia are in defence trying to stop a third being conceded...
46'
Santi Mina enters the game and replaces A. Abdennour.
André Gomes enters the game and replaces João Cancelo.
The second half is underway in this Spanish Primera Division clash!
Two changes for Valencia at the break. The first sees Andre Gomes replace Joao Cancelo.
The second alteration sees Abdennour replaced by Santi Mina.
43'
André Gomes gets yellow.
Andre Gomes goes into the book now, and it is unclear whether it was for actually protesting due to that goal. A yellow, regardless.
42'
K. Benzema has scored a goal for Real Madrid!
GOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL FOR REAL MADRID! After Diego Alves makes an unbelievable save to deny Benzema, the ball comes back into the feet of the Frenchman off the leg of a Valencia player, and he quickly passes neatly into the bottom corner. The linesman initially calls for offside, but he is correctly overruled by the referee, who awards the goal! Two-nil!
40'
The Atletico Madrid loanee, who was booked just a minute ago, attempts to hurt his parent club's arch rivals with a blistering run down the left wing. However, Danilo makes up the ground against his opposite number and forces him to pass back in to midfield, as Madrid in turn get back in to their defensive positions.
39'
Guilherme Siqueira gets yellow.
Yellow card for Siqueira.
38'
Seven minutes or so until the half-time whistle and it could have been very different for Real Madrid if Valencia were to score with that glorious chance a few moments ago. A very big reminder to Zidane's men that they cannot afford to linger in possession for too long at the back.
36'
WHAT ON EARTH ARE VALENCIA DOING?! Alcacer runs through on goal one-on-one with the keeper, but instead of shooting opts to pass sideways for Parejo, who isn't ready to receive possession! The ball eventually comes to Cancelo, but with an open goal he chips a crazy attempt north of the crossbar? That was like Los Che were trying to defend the goal, not score into it!
34'
James receives the ball to feet with his back to goal and swivels sharply before sliding a pass in to the feet of Vazquez. The former Espanyol winger attempts to provide a lay-off for the onrushing Danilo, but there is a miscommunication between the two team-mates which allows Valencia to clear the danger up the left flank.
32'
CHANCE FOR BENZEMA! Danilo once again impressively marauds down the right flank and this time whips a cross wickedly to the back post. The Frenchman looks poised to get the volley or header away on goal, but a vital touch at the last minute from Barragan means the attempt cannons off his shin before looping behind for a goal-kick. Great defending from the right-back!
30'
Madrid get the opportunity to get some decent service into the danger area here as Barragan commits the daft foul on James about two yards or so in from the byline. The Colombian dusts himself off to take the resulting set-piece, which is clipped into the box, but Sergio Ramos' header goes weakly beyond the right-hand post.
28'
That is just what the doctor ordered for Real Madrid, as Valencia were just on the ascendancy in the moments preceding that goal from Ronaldo. The nerves have been laid to rest now but they still need to guard against complacency as they haven't exactly been rock-solid at the back this campaign.
26'
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Marcelo.
Assist for Marcelo with the pass inside to Ronaldo.
GOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLL FOR REAL MADRID! LOS BLANCOS TAKE THE LEAD! Marcelo moves into space down the left channel and then passes neatly into the feet of Ronaldo. The Ballon d'Or winner takes one stride beyond Abdennour before flashing a superb right-footed finish into the bottom left corner! One-nil! Vintage Ronaldo!
23'
Rodrigo wins the ball back for his team inside the Valencia half and attempts to catalyse a counter for the visitors with a bursting run down the left wing. He leaves Danilo for dead with an impressive bit of pace, but the attack eventually comes to nothing as his subsequent pass for Alcacer comes harmlessly into the arms of Casilla.
21'
We are just approaching the midway point of the half now and, surprsingly, we still remain at a 0-0 stalemate even with the attacking talent on display. Even with the players out there, though, Ronaldo has been fairly quiet in his return to the team after a slight injury, but he can of course punish the opposition at any time with a goal.
19'
SUPERB INTERCEPTION FROM ABDENNOUR! Danilo, who deputises for Carvajal this afternoon, makes his way down the right touchline and eventually attempts to pick out Ronaldo at the near post with a lofted cross, but the former Monaco defender is on hand to slide in emhpatically to clear the danger for a corner-kick.
17'
A lot better from Valencia at the moment as they are enjoying just a little period of sustained possession in the final third, pinning Real Madrid back into defence in the process. It is not particularly penetrating, with the passing mostly going from left to right, but it will still give them a confidence boost to see a little more of the ball in advanced areas.
15'
A lovely bit of movement from Alcacer sees the Valencia striker latch on to a penetrating pass into the box from Cancelo before pulling the trigger from a tight angle. The pacey Varane is on hand to make sure the attempt doesn't give his goalkeeper any trouble though, and blocks behind for a corner.
13'
E. Pérez gets yellow.
First yellow card of the match now and it is certainly a deserved one for Perez, who needlessly and forcefully comes right through the back of James Rodriguez with a scissor-motioned tackle inside the Valencia half. That was a really poor one from the former Benfica midfielder, who rightfully sees his name go into the book.
11'
If this game continues like this, then Casilla will have all the time in the world to do what he wants between the sticks for Real Madrid. Perhaps he needs to balance his chequebook?
9'
Speaking of Casemiro, the Brazilian takes advantage of the space ahead of him to burst into the final third to get a rare shot away. He moves to 25 yards out then pulls the trigger with a bouncing strike aimed towards the bottom corner, but there is no real surprise to see it flash the wrong side of the post. He isn't exactly known for his goalscoring!
7'
Ayestaran's charges have struggled to get our of their own half so far, as Madrid are clearly playing with a lot of confidence after progressing to the Champions League final during the week. Casemiro has been popped back in midfield after missing that European clash, and Los Blancos are looking the better for it so far with his solidity in the midfield battle.
5'
Vazquez, who is making yet another appearance under the tenure of Zidane, collects a throw-in to feet deep down the right wing before attempting to take on Siqueira at left-back, only to be forced to retreat. Danilo picks up the pass from his team-mate and passes back inside as Madrid continue to mount the pressure on the Valencia goal.
3'
Positive start to the match from Los Blancos here, who are looking to take the game to Valencia in these early stages. We get our first glimpse of Ronaldo as he attempts to latch on to a loose ball in behind the defence, but Mustafi is on hand to make the vital interception before the trigger can be pulled.
1'
We are underway at Santiago Bernabeu!
Even with two games to go in the domestic campaign in Spain, the title race is still very much wide open as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid all have a chance to be crowned champions. Los Blancos are currently two points behind the other two sides, and although they require at least one slip-up from them both, they will be eager to maintain the pressure going into the final day next week.
Good afternoon ladies and gentleman! Welcome to LIVE coverage of the Spanish Primera Division clash between Real Madrid and Valencia from the Santiago Bernabeu.
To say that Valencia have had a roller-coaster ride of a season would be somewhat of an understatement. The tenure of Nuno Espirito Santo ultimately came to an end prematurely which saw the unlikely appointment of television pundit and former Manchester United defender, Gary Neville. However, it was a calamitous campaign for the Englishman in his first managerial role, and he was eventually replaced on a temporary basis by Pako Ayestaran, who was formerly a member of the backroom staff at the Mestalla.
The capital club have been buoyed heading into this game due to their progression to the Champions League final at the expense of Manchester City on Wednesday evening. An own-goal from Fernando after some impressive work by Gareth Bale eventually sealed the narrow win over two legs, however Madrid had a pretty easy time of it against the Citizens in the second half, who didn't put up much of a fight. Their opponents in the final? Their great rivals, Atletico.
However, even with the one-point deficit, Zinedine Zidane's men could not be in better form at the business end of the season. Since February's 1-0 loss against Los Colchoneros, Madrid have gone on a fantastic run of 10 consecutive league wins which has ultimately catapulted them back into the championship run-in, especially coupled with Barca going on a conversely poor run a couple of weeks ago.
Los Che's last match was a disappointing 2-0 home defeat against Villarreal. However, the former assistant to Rafa Benitez at Liverpool has managed to get more out of Valencia than his two predecessors, and in recent weeks has oversaw impressive wins over Barcelona and Eibar to lift his side out of the bottom half of La Liga.
Real Madrid subs: Yanez, Pepe, Nacho, Kovacic, Arbeloa, Isco, Jese.
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Casilla; Danilo, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Rodriguez; Vazquez, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Half-time at Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid's pursuit to make up ground on Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at the top of the table continues to be on course as they go into the break with a 2-0 lead over Valencia. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a flashed finish into the corner, while Benzema doubled the scoring not long before half-time from close-range. Suspicisions of offside not one, but twice on the Frenchman, but the goal stands! Second period to come...
Full-time at Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid leap ahead of Atletico Madrid in the title race and keep pace with Barcelona in the process after a hard-fought 3-2 victory against Valencia in the Spanish Primera Division. A double from Cristiano Ronaldo and a goal from Karim Benzema proved to be enough on the day, even with Rodrigo and Andre Gomes getting goals at key areas in the game with terrific strikes. The title race in La Liga will go until the last day! Thanks for joining us, see you next time!
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