Ten-man Madrid win to go top of the table

Real Madrid clinched a victory in Vitoria that sees them close out the year at the top of the LaLiga table. Our team played more than 40 minutes a man down after Nacho was sent off on 53', and initially dug in well, before delivering a lesson in precision, sealing the three points when Lucas Vázquez's header found the net following on from a Kroos corner.

The table-toppers could have gone ahead with the game barely underway but Sivera kept an off-balance Valverde out as he raced through one-on-one. That would prove to be the best chance of a first half played at a swift pace but with very little action in either box. With just over half an hour gone, Rodrygo tried his luck on 36’, before Valverde was once again denied by Sivera as he unleashed a fierce long-range drive.

Nacho red card
The second half kicked off with a Brahim shot across goal that was turned behind for a corner on 48’, but just four minutes later, the game turned against the madridistas when Nacho was sent off. The captain initially received a yellow card on 52' for a foul on Samu but a minute later, referee Díaz de Mera went to the VAR monitor and opted to show the centre-back a straight red card.

Stamina and accuracy
Real Madrid had to play a man down, but they did not give up looking for a winner, which almost came in the 75th minute. After an exceptional through ball from Kroos, Rodrygo did the rest. The Brazilian received the ball on the edge of the area, beat two opponents but his shot missed the target by inches. It was Ancelotti's side's best spell of the game, and they would try again in the 84th minute with a shot from Rodrygo from the edge of the area that was saved by Sivera. Madrid continued to attack and the winning goal came in stoppage time. Kroos swung in a corner and Lucas Vázquez popped up to head the ball home. Our team closes the year as LaLiga leaders.