Jude Bellingham produced a brilliant solo goal as Real Madrid returned to winning form with a 2-0 victory over Real Oviedo in La Liga.
Madrid faced criticism during the week after their trophyless campaign was confirmed following defeat to Barcelona last weekend, but they responded by scoring late in both halves at the Bernabeu.
Los Blancos started slowly but still created early chances, with Franco Mastantuono and Brahim Diaz both denied by Aaron Escandell in quick succession. Trent Alexander-Arnold also sent an effort narrowly wide, while Nacho Vidal missed a huge chance to put the already-relegated visitors ahead.
The breakthrough finally arrived just before half-time when Gonzalo Garcia reacted quickly under pressure, firing a low strike from outside the box into the bottom-right corner.
Veteran midfielder Santi Cazorla received a standing ovation from the Bernabeu crowd after coming on and nearly inspired an equaliser, but Alberto Reina failed to convert his chance.
Madrid sealed the victory in the 80th minute after the returning Kylian Mbappé — who was jeered by sections of the crowd after entering the match — set up Bellingham. The English midfielder danced past two defenders before calmly finishing past Escandell.
Haissem Hassan later forced a strong save from Thibaut Courtois, while Mbappe missed another opportunity with the final kick of the game, but no further goals followed.
Data Debrief;
Although Bellingham and Mbappe grabbed attention, Gonzalo Garcia played a key role in lifting the atmosphere inside the Bernabeu. Garcia has now converted 33.3% of his non-blocked shots this season, giving him the best conversion rate among Madrid’s 17 different goalscorers across all competitions, with 11 goals.
Brahim Diaz also continued his creative form, recording six assists this season without scoring — a tally only bettered by Julian Ryerson and Luis Milla among players in Europe’s top five leagues who are yet to score.
Despite registering 19 shots and seven on target, Madrid generated only 1.43 expected goals (xG), while Oviedo produced 1.03 xG from their nine attempts.
