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A brace from in-form striker Karim Benzema was enough to secure Real Madrid’s 10th straight win in La Liga this season, one that sees Zinedine Zidane’s men wrap up the league title with one game to spare.
Los Blancos came into the game knowing that a win would guarantee the title, but needing only to match or better Barcelona’s result to make sure of their success. Despite Vicente Iborra’s late goal, Real Madrid held on to their advantage, taking home three points and their 34th La Liga title.
Benzema spearheads Real Madrid to their 34th La Liga title
The home side were able to exert their dominance over their guests right from the start, enjoying the majority of the possession while also swiftly snuffing out any attack that Villarreal attempted to muster. Real Madrid’s dominance paid off in the 29th minute as Benzema collected the ball from Modric on the right-hand side of the box before slotting an unerring finish under Sergio Asenjo to give his side the lead.
The second half started on a rather insipid note but burst into life in the 73rd minute as the home side were awarded a penalty. Sergio Ramos, who won the penalty, stepped up to take it but instead attempted to cleverly lay the ball off to the onrushing Benzema, whose finish was chalked off as he was found to have entered the box too early. The retaken penalty was sent into the bottom left-hand corner by the Frenchman to give his side a 2-0 lead.
As Real Madrid seemed to be coasting to victory, Villarreal threw a spanner into the works by halving the deficit, with Iborra rising high to direct a looping header past Thibaut Courtois into the far corner. Real Madrid thought they had scored the third after Vinicius set up Asensio to score, but a VAR check ruled out the Spaniard’s effort. It did not affect the final result, however, as Madrid saw out the win to seal the title.
Here are the Real Madrid player ratings from a memorable night for Los Blancos:
Thibaut Courtois: 7/10
The Belgian was hardly tested until late in the second half as Villarreal’s first effort on target came in the 72nd minute. While he was secure in his handling all night, he could do nothing to prevent Iborra’s well-placed header from looping into the net.
Courtois also overcame a painful knock to the head in the second half that saw him receive treatment for several minutes. He made a stunning double save in the final minutes of the game to secure the win.
Dani Carvajal: 6/10
Spent most of his time in the opposing half as Real Madrid attacked frequently down the flanks and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. The right-back was taken off for Lucas Vazquez late in the second half.
Sergio Ramos: 6/10
With hardly any defensive duties to take care of for most of the game, the Real Madrid skipper was left free to foray forward at will. He duly obliged, winning the ultimately decisive penalty with one of his trademark runs upfield, but blotted his copybook by attempting a clever routine instead of putting the penalty away.
Raphael Varane: 6/10
Like Ramos, the Frenchman did not have much to do by way of defending. However, unlike his Spanish central defensive colleague, he did not venture forward, maintaining his defensive position to snuff out any attacking threat that Villarreal mustered.
Ferland Mendy: 7/10
Like Carvajal on the opposite flank, Mendy combined well with Hazard down Real Madrid’s left flank, getting up the pitch with some regularity and helping create several promising opportunities.
Casemiro: 7/10
The Brazilian was excellent in midfield, putting in a number of crucial tackles that won the ball back for his side and set them off on the counter. His interception on the half-line led to Benzema’s opener.
Toni Kroos: 6/10
Afforded a bit too much time on the ball in midfield, Kroos displayed his range of long passes, constantly spraying balls out wide to get his side on the move quickly. He came close to putting the game beyond Villarreal’s reach late in the second half with a thunderous long-range effort that cannoned off the frame of the goal.
Luka Modric: 7/10
The Croatian midfield maestro popped up in attacking positions all over the pitch, keeping the ball moving well with a number of quick and astute passes. It was he who claimed the assist for Benzema’s opener after Casemiro had won the ball back for Real Madrid.
Rodrygo: 6/10
The young Brazilian was a willing outlet down Real Madrid’s right flank, constantly getting in behind the Villarreal left-back and sending dangerous balls into the box but rarely finding a teammate.
Karim Benzema: 9/10
Real Madrid’s frontman continued his fine goalscoring form with a title-winning brace. His firm, accurate finish into the far corner in the first half was just reward for the industrious display that saw him regularly drop into midfield to link up the play. His second came from a penalty that was confidently dispatched low to the keeper’s right.
Eden Hazard: 6/10
Starting off on the left flank, Hazard was a peripheral figure in the opening exchanges. Despite gradually growing into the game and picking the ball up in all parts of the attacking third, the Belgian did not offer much of an attacking threat.
Real Madrid Substitutes:
Vinicius Junior: 7/10
The Brazilian shone during his short cameo on the pitch, dancing past a number of Villarreal defenders to set up fellow substitute Marco Asensio for a fine goal that was chalked off for handball by a VAR check.
Marco Asensio: 6/10
The Spaniard had the ball in the net during his short stint but saw it disallowed by VAR for handball. Did not feature much elsewhere on the pitch.
Lucas Vazquez: N.A.
A late replacement for Dani Carvajal, the Spaniard hardly got a touch of the ball after coming on to the pitch.
Federico Valverde: N.A.
The Uruguayan replaced Toni Kroos in the middle of the park but did not get on the ball enough to make an impact.
Isco: N.A.
The Spaniard’s only meaningful contribution to the game was the yellow card that he picked up soon after coming on, not providing anything in an attacking sense during his short spell on the pitch.
