Real Madrid 2-1 Villarreal: 5 talking points as reigning champions fail to defend title despite comeback win

Real Madrid did all they could on the final day of the season as their game against Villarreal ended in a 2-1 victory for the reigning champions.

But it was not enough to win the league as Atletico Madrid won their game and lifted their 11th La Liga title.

Yeremi Pino's early lead was cancelled out by Karim Benzema in the 87th minute, while Luka Modric completed the comeback for the hosts, scoring a well-taken goal in injury time.

The hosts conceded early in the game and looked the second-best side on the pitch for the first 45 minutes, as Unai Emery's men looked like they had it all in control.

Madrid started the second half brightly and found the back of the net through Benzema's header in the 55th minute, only for it to be ruled out after a lengthy VAR review.

Zinedine Zidane's men then displayed their incredible fighting spirit as they staged a comeback with two goals in five minutes. Though Madrid ended their season with a win, they have endured a disappointing 2020-21 campaign without silverware.

With the La Liga season coming to an end with a last-day title triumph for Atletico, here we take a look at the five talking points from Madrid's inspiring victory.

#5 Wasteful Real Madrid get their job done with two late goals

Real Madrid v Villarreal CF - La Liga Santander

Real Madrid did not look organized at all for the first 45 minutes of the game and lost possession quite often. There was no clear communication in defence and they struggled to create chances from the back.

Yeremi Pino was allowed a bit too much space in the box and was easily able to beat Eder Militao for the ball to score the opening goal in the 20th minute.

When the game resumed after the break, Real Madrid attacked with renewed vigour but chose quantity over quality. Te likes of Karim Benzema and Asensio failed to even get their shots on target due to the wayward passes into the box.

Their perseverance paid off as Benzema equalised in the 87th minute with a sweet strike into the top-right corner and later set up Luka Modric's stunning goal.

#4 Villarreal miss out on Europa League qualification but can still qualify for Champions League

While title defence was at stake for Real Madrid in this game, Villarreal too were fighting for an automatic Europa League qualification spot here.

Before the game, the Yellow Submarine were guaranteed to feature in one of the UEFA competitions next season, but their hopes of a spot in the Europa League were wiped out as they finished seventh in the standings after today's game.

As things stand they are still eligible to feature in the upcoming Europa Conference League but can still claim a Champions League spot if they beat Manchester United in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

Also See: 10 highest-paid players in La Liga this season (2020/21)

#3 Real Madrid go trophyless for the first time since 2009-10 campaign

Real Madrid fought hard in La Liga to keep their title hopes alive and took the title race to the wire, but despite giving it their all, they failed to defend their title. Atletico Madrid also recorded a comeback win at Valladolid to become the Spanish Champions.

While the hosts would be content to have gone down fighting with a remarkable win over Villarreal, the loss condemned the capital club to a trophyless campaign.

This is the first season since the 2009-10 campaign that Real Madrid have failed to add silverware to their trophy cabinet. Last season it was Barcelona who went trophyless and this season it was Real Madrid's turn. All we can say is that the duopoly of Barcelona and Real is certainly facing a stiff challenge in the Spanish top-flight.

#2 Karim Benzema puts in another fantastic shift to show why he earned a call-up from France after six years

Karim Benzema returned to his goalscoring ways tonight as he scored the equalising goal for Real Madrid and set up the winner five minutes later. The Frenchman also came close to equalisng in the 55th minute but his perfectly-timed header was ruled offside by the thinnest of margins.

The 33-year-old ended the season with 23 goals in the league and also notched nine assists. Only Lionel Messi scored more goals this season. The player recently received a call-up from his national side after a gap of sixyears and single-handedly orchestrated a comeback win for Real Madrid tonight. All we can say is that the call-up is well deserved.

#1 Zinedine Zidane's time up at Real Madrid?

Zinedine Zidane led Real Madrid to the La Liga title last season after they produced a string of remarkable results when the league action resumed post the COVID-19-induced break. But this season, the club failed to find their mojo and endured a drought..

The French coach cannot be held completely responsible for the struggles because the club did not make any new signings under him and the team over 60 injuries throughout the season. The Madrid giants, however, have a strict policy when it comes to managers who do not win trophies.

Rumours have already started circulating suggesting that a decision has already been made about Zidane's future. But we need to wait for the final confirmation on whether Zidane's second stint has reached its conclusion.

About the author

Shubham is a football journalist with a wealth of experience. It was Zidane's infamous headbutt at the 2006 World Cup final that got him hooked on to the sport. Shubham contributed to the 2022 FIFA World Cup coverage at Sportskeeda, producing match previews and even minute-to-minute live blogs. Apart from writing articles, he is adept at fact-checking and researching trends, and at communicating with the editorial team.

For all fans, he has one message: "Football is my cup of tea, let's talk football over a cup of tea."

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Edited by S Chowdhury

Real Madrid 2-1 Villarreal: 5 talking points as reigning champions fail to defend title despite comeback win | La Liga 2020-21