Real broke the circuit unbeaten in La Liga

Two days after Barca beat Almeria 2-0 to rise to the top of the table with 34 points, Real - with 32 points - was forced to win as a guest at Estadio de Vallecas.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti kept the same starting line-up compared to the 5-1 win over Celtic in the last leg of Group F of the Champions League, except that midfielder Toni Kroos could not play due to suspension and was replaced by Aurelien Tchouameni. Golden Ball 2022 Karim Benzema continues to be absent due to injury.

Entered the game with a must-win mentality, but Real conceded a goal in the 5th minute. Left-back Francisco Garcia went down and stretched to midfield Santi Comesana to cushion the corner, sending the ball spinning out of reach of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Thus, through 13 matches in La Liga since the beginning of the season, Real only kept a clean sheet twice, the club's worst performance since the 2013-2014 season also under Ancelotti.

Excited after the opening goal early, Vallecano continuously pressed and shot quite the goal of the away team. In the 14th minute, Alvaro Garcia had the ball after Eder Militao's mistake in front of the penalty area, but could not beat Courtois in the face-to-face position. In the 30th minute, Isi Palazon fired a cannon from a distance of 30 meters, causing Courtois to struggle to neutralize.

Being confused, luck came to Real. After going to the border to review the video, referee Juan Martinez said that Marco Asensio was cut down by Francisco Garcia in the penalty area and gave Real a penalty. On the spot, Luka Modric shot into the middle, while goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski poured to the left.

Four minutes later, Asensio kicked a corner to Militao's header across the corner, causing Vallecano's keeper to stand still, giving Real a 2-1 lead. This is the second goal of the Brazilian midfielder in La Liga this season, after scoring the only goal to help Real beat Getafe 1-0 in round 8 on October 8.

However, Real only held the advantage for three minutes. Starting from a messy situation in the penalty area, Garcia caught a strong left foot volley to the near corner. Courtois had his hand on the ball but was unable to block it.

The hosts finished upstream in the 64th minute, when they were awarded a penalty because Dani Carvajal let the ball touch his hand in the penalty area. On the penalty spot, Oscar Trejo failed to win against Courtois, but Vallecano was kicked back because the Real goalkeeper took his feet off the line before the opponent finished. In the second, Trejo picked the opposite angle when he shot to the right. Courtois still guessed in the right direction, but was unstoppable.

This is only the second time Vallecano has scored three goals against Real Madrid in La Liga in the past 55 years, after a 3-2 victory at home in October 1977. This result helps them rise to eighth with 21 points, three points behind Real Betis - the fourth-placed team.

On the contrary, this is Real's first defeat in La Liga this season3, after 10 wins and two draws. This result also makes the army under Ancelotti stomp in second place, and there is a risk of Barca increasing the gap if they win against Osasuna in the early match of the 14th round today.

Before the season was paused to make room for the 2022 World Cup, Real also met Cadiz, while Vallecano played Celta Vigo.