Golden opportunity for Morata! Carvajal charges down the right wing before slotting a lovely pass into the path of Morata, who is completely unmarked in front of goal, but he somehow fails to hit the target with his close-range shot. He really should have buried that!
90' +1
Pepe gets yellow.
A Madrid attack comes to an end and allows Villarreal to counter quickly, but it's brought to a quick end by a cynical challenge from Pepe, who receives a booking as a result.
90'
Mario Gaspar gets yellow.
Gaspar becomes the latest player to receive a yellow card for a clumsy challenge over on the left wing as Ronaldo was breaking away.
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
Vital save by Navas! A looping cross is fired in from the left wing and bounces around dangerously before falling to Dos Santos, but the Mexican's first-time shot is pushed wide of the near post by the outstretched limbs of the Madrid goalkeeper.
89'
Lucas Vázquez enters the game and replaces G. Bale.
Ramos goes close to making it 4-2! A curling corner flies right on to the head of Ramos, but the defender is unable to keep his effort down and sends it just over the top of the crossbar.
Bale seemed to land awkwardly after being caught by a tackle, and he makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Lucas Vazquez.
87'
Ronaldo brings down a looping ball beautifully and plays a one-two with Bale before shooting, but his thumping strike fails to beat the wall of yellow in front of him and the ball deflects away from danger.
85'
Bakambu, who has seen very little of the ball since Madrid increased the tempo of their attacks, is finally able to get back in possession as he powers his way into the penalty area, but he's closed down quickly and is unable to get a shot away.
83'
Álvaro Morata has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Marcelo.
GOAL! Madrid have taken the lead! Marcelo picks up the ball over on the left flank and swings a beautiful cross right on to the head of Morata, who rises high above Ruiz and sends a bullet header into the the back of the net. What a comeback!
Marcelo really struggled in the first half but, like many of his team-mates, has been great since the break, with that cross being absolutely perfect.
82'
It's all Madrid at the moment as they continue to fly forward on great attacking moves. They've looked so much better since Villarreal's second goal and are all over the home side right now.
80'
Marcelo gets himself into a pocket of space over on the left flank and quickly whips a wonderful cross into the heart of the penalty area, but it somehow skims the head of three Madrid players before flying out of play.
78'
Another dangerous cross finds Ronaldo inside the Villarreal penalty area, but his quick shot is closed down by a sea of yellow shirts and deflects away from goal before it's able to test Fernandez.
Minute
Description
77'
Álvaro Morata enters the game and replaces K. Benzema.
Sergio Ramos gets yellow.
Meanwhile, Alvaro Morata has come on to take the place of Benzema for Madrid.
75'
Rodri enters the game and replaces Manu Trigueros.
Trigueros has made way for Rodrigo Hernandez in a change for Villarreal.
74'
Penalty goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid!
Álvaro González gets yellow.
GOAL! After plenty of arguing and pushing, which results in Fran Escriba being sent to the stands, Ronaldo steps up and fires a brilliant strike into the left-hand side of the goal to equalise for Madrid. The Villarreal players and fans are still going crazy!
Yellow card Álvaro González Soberón
73'
Soldado gets yellow.
Bruno gets yellow.
And so is Roberto Soldado, despite the fact that the striker is sitting on the substitutes' bench.
Soriano, who is absolutely irate at the decision, is shown a yellow card for his protests.
Yellow card Sergio Ramos García
72'
PENALTY! The ball flies around the Villarreal penalty area before seemingly rolling up the arm of Soriano. The referee immediately points to the spot, resulting in the home players and coaches all going crazy. That certainly seemed to be a harsh decision!
70'
Marcelo and Isco link up well deep down the left wing before the latter tries to break into the Villarreal penalty area, but he's unable to beat his former team-mate Castillejo and loses out to the winger.
68'
Madrid are continuing to put pressure on Villarreal back line as they desperately try to find an equaliser. The hosts' second goal seemed to give them a much-needed kick, and it's resulted in them finally playing at somewhere near their best.
66'
Big chance for Ronaldo! A swinging cross from the left wing finds Benzema, who quickly nods the ball down to Ronaldo, but the Portuguese scuffs his first-time half-volley and sends it flying over the top of the crossbar.
64'
G. Bale has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Dani Carvajal.
GOAL! Madrid are back into the game! A nice move from the visitors ends with a lovely Carvajal cross being fired right on to the head of Bale, who then beats Fernandez with a well-placed downward header.
Carvajal has struggled defensively tonight, but that cross was an excellent one. The whole move was far better than anything Madrid produced earlier in the evening.
63'
Castillejo almost makes it 3-0! The winger, who has been great this evening, plays the ball off the leg of Kroos and back into his path as he breaks into the Madrid penalty area, but his rocket of a shot swerves the wrong side of the near post and into the side-netting.
61'
Ronaldo hits the post! He latches on to another cross from the right flank and meets it with a great volleyed strike, but his effort on goal bounces off the woodwork before Benzema's follow-up sails over the top of the crossbar.
59'
A looping cross flies into the heart of the Villarreal penalty area and finds Ronaldo in a great position in front of goal, but the Portuguese is unable to direct his header towards goal and instead sends it bouncing wide of the near post.
58'
Isco enters the game and replaces Casemiro.
Madrid have made their first substitution of the game, and, unsurprisingly, it's an attacking one, with Casemiro making way for Isco.
57'
D. Cheryshev enters the game and replaces Adrián López.
Meanwhile, Villarreal have brought on Denis Cheryshev to take the place of Adrian.
56'
C. Bakambu has scored a goal for Villarreal! Assist by Bruno.
Assist Bruno Soriano Llido
GOAL! It's 2-0! The Madrid defence is split open by a great pass from Bruno, who picks out Bakambu and sets up the striker to fire a brilliant strike into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. What a few minutes for Villarreal!
54'
Casemiro is muscled off the ball by Bakambu, resulting in a free-kick for Madrid in a promising position midway inside the Villarreal half of the pitch. Kroos steps up and almost finds Ramos in front of goal, but the defender loses out before he can make decent contact with the ball.
52'
Castillejo and Trigueros link up really well once again, this time down the right wing, as Villarreal burst forward, but Casemiro is just about able to bring the attack to an end with a vital tackle near to the byline.
50'
Manu Trigueros has scored a goal for Villarreal!
GOAL! Villarreal have taken the lead! A chipped pass from Adrian flies towards the far post and finds Castillejo, who immediately nods the ball down to Trigueros. The midfielder is in a pocket of space and immediately fires a thumping shot past Navas and into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.
48'
Benzema goes close! Bale cuts inside from the right flank on a lovely run before teeing up Benzema on the edge of the penalty area, but the Frenchman's low shot is poorly hit and trickles straight into the hands of Fernandez.
47'
Almost a chance for Ronaldo! Benzema picks up the ball over on the right-hand side of the Villarreal box and quickly fires a deflected cross into the path of Ronaldo, but Gaspar is just about able to cut out the danger at the vital moment.
46'
We're underway once again!
45' +3
Short, sharp passes from Madrid help Benzema break into the left-hand side of the Villarreal box, but the Frenchman is unable to find a way past Fernandez as the goalkeeper pounces on the ball at the vital moment.
45' +2
Ronaldo, who has been incredibly quiet this evening, is caught by Bruno and flies to the ground, resulting in a free-kick for Madrid in a very dangerous position 30 yards away from goal. Kroos steps up and curls a cross into the box that finds Pepe, but the linesman's flag is quickly raised.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
44'
Costa twists and turns over on the left-hand side of the Madrid penalty area as he takes Carvajal completely out of the game, but his thumping cross is just about cut out by a white shirt before it can find Bakambu in front of goal.
43'
Villarreal continue to dominate the game as they run rings around the Madrid midfield. Trigueros tees up Castillejo, who then pokes a beautiful pass down to Gaspar, and the full-back's low cross finds Bakambu at the near post. The striker does well to get a foot on the ball but is unable to direct it towards goal.
41'
Villarreal move the ball around really nicely deep inside the Madrid half of the pitch before Trigueros tries to poke a through-ball over to Bakambu, but Ramos dives in front of the pass to stop it from doing so. The home side are all over their opponents at the moment!
39'
Castillejo shows brilliant skill over on the right wing as he easily skips past Marcelo. He then cuts into the penalty area and tries to beat Ramos, but the centre-back closes him down well and pokes the ball out for a corner.
37'
Fernandez is called into action for the first time by a close-range volley from Benzema, but, off balance, the Frenchman is unable to make decent contact with Carvajal's chipped cross and it's easily saved by the substitute goalkeeper.
35'
Andrés Fernández enters the game and replaces Sergio Asenjo.
Asenjo gingerly makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Andres Fernandez in a change that Fran Escriba wouldn't have wanted to make.
34'
Things don't look good for Asenjo, who seemed to pick up a knock whilst keeping out Benzema's earlier header and has gone down off the ball once again. The Villarreal medical staff look nervous over on the touchline.
32'
Villarreal are really enjoying themselves whenever they push forward. This time it's Bakambu who finds joy over on the left flanks thanks to a marauding run forward, and he's able to force Navas into making a good save at the near post with a thumping strike.
31'
Castillejo almost makes it 1-0! A beautiful cross is swung in from the left wing and finds Castillejo completely unmarked at the far post, but he's unable to make decent contact with his stretching shot and fires a close-range half-volley just over the top of the crossbar.
30'
Another chance for Dos Santos! Villarreal hit Madrid on another great attack as they burst down the right flank. Castillejo cuts inside and is able to work the ball over to Dos Santos on the edge of the penalty area, but the winger's low cross is deflected agonisingly wide of the near post.
28'
An attempted Madrid attack breaks down and Villarreal quickly hit them on a counter-attack. Dos Santos and Gaspar link up well before the Mexican is able to get a head to the ball, but, under pressure, he's unable to direct it towards goal.
27'
Madrid push forward on another dangerous attacking move, and this time it's Ronaldo who skips into the left-hand side of the penalty area. He then tries to pick out Benzema, but his cross is overhit and misses the Frenchman.
25'
Wonderful save by Asenjo! Marcelo lifts a wonderful deep cross into the Villarreal penalty area and right on to the head of Benzema, but, somehow, his looping header is brilliantly stopped by Asenjo's left hand. That looked destined for the back of the net!
23'
Adrian twists and turns over on the left flank as he dances his way into the box. He easily beats Daniel Carvajal and manages to chip a dangerous cross towards Bakambu, but Sergio Ramos is just about able to get a head on the ball to stop it from finding the striker in front of goal.
22'
Castillejo showcases some impressive skills as he skips past two Madrid players on his way to the penalty area, but just as it looks as if he's going to penetrate the box, he's dispossessed by a vital tackle from Casemiro.
20'
Toni Kroos picks out Ronaldo deep down the left flank and presents the forward with a chance to whip a cross into the Villarreal penalty area. He's able to do so but it's not a good one, resulting in it being easily collected by Asenjo at the near post.
18'
Jaume Costa is set up over on the left wing and immediately whips a cross towards Bakambu at the near post, but Casemiro sticks out a foot to stop the striker from reaching the ball and pokes it out for a corner that fails to result in a chance on goal.
16'
Brilliant defending by Gaspar! A bouncing pass is fired up towards the edge of the Villarreal penalty area and into the path of Ronaldo, but the Portuguese is unable to muscle his way past Gaspar and loses out to the defender.
15'
Bale gets himself into a pocket of space over on the left flank before swinging a dangerous cross into the middle of the box, where Karim Benzema sends a header off a yellow shirt and out for a corner. The set-piece is whipped in and almost finds a Madrid player in front of goal, but Villarreal do well to deal with the danger.
13'
Cedric Bakambu bullies his way through the Madrid midfield after picking up the ball for the home side. The hosts work it around nicely as they push forward quickly, but the speed of the attack eventually slows down and Madrid are able to get plenty of white shirts back to deal with the danger.
11'
Great save by Keylor Navas! Manu Trigueros cuts inside from the right wing on a great run before cutting the ball back to Mario Gaspar. The full-back takes a quick touch and then unleashes a rocket of a strike, but Navas is there to tip the ball away with a diving stop.
9'
Villarreal string together a good series of passes just outside of the Madrid box as they try to carve out their first real chance on goal, but, after managing to get into a promising position, Jonathan Dos Santos is dispossessed by Casemiro at the vital moment.
7'
After failing to get anywhere near to the Madrid penalty area, Samu Castillejo decides to try and follow Ronaldo with a long-range effort, but, like the earlier one, it's far too powerful and sails comfortably over the top of the crossbar.
5'
Luka Modric charges through the middle of the pitch on a strong run before teeing up Gareth Bale, who then fires a low cross back towards the Croatian. He meets the ball well and takes on Victor Ruiz, but he loses out to the centre-back and is unable to keep the ball in play.
3'
After a patient start from both sides, Cristiano Ronaldo cuts inside from the left flank and tries to test Sergio Asenjo with an early strike from long range, but it's poorly hit by the Portuguese and bounces comfortably wide of the near post.
1'
We're off!
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s La Liga game between Villarreal and Real Madrid at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Last weekend’s surprising defeat away to Valencia means that Madrid start the day in second place after being knocked off the top of the table by Barcelona. Their main challengers for the title narrowly squeezed past Atletico Madrid earlier today, leaving Los Blancos in need of a victory if they are to head back to the summit once again.
Madrid do still have a game in hand over their rivals, however, but, with things as tight at the top as they currently are, they will be well aware that they can’t afford any more slips like last weekend’s. Before then, Zinedine Zidane’s men had won all of their previous four games, but just five wins from their last 10 clashes represents a slightly worrying run of form for the club from the capital.
As for Villarreal, they are enjoying a good run at the moment as they try to consolidate their place in the Europa League qualification spots. They currently sit in sixth place thanks to a four-game unbeaten run, with Real Sociedad, who sit five points ahead of them in fifth, the latest to fall to the Yellow Submarine.
Only Valencia have managed to get the better of Villarreal in the league since the start of December, although Fran Escriba’s side have won only four of those 10 games. They’ve proven to be a difficult team to break down, resulting in them conceding only four goals during that time. Their defensive record (they’ve let it only 15 goals all campaign) is comfortably the best in La Liga, and that could prove problematic for Madrid tonight.
Villarreal did well to hold Madrid to a 1-1 draw in September’s meeting at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and recent meetings between the two teams have often proven to be close affairs. Last season’s corresponding fixture ended in a 1-0 victory for tonight’s hosts, whilst Madrid have won on just one of their previous four visits to this part of the east coast.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…
Real Madrid substitutes: Casilla, Nacho, Kovacic, Isco, Rodriguez, Vazquez, Morata.
Real Madrid XI (4-3-3): Navas, Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Villarreal XI (4-4-2): Asenjo; Gaspar, Musacchio, Ruiz, Costa; Dos Santos, Trigueros, Bruno, Castillejo; Bakambu, Adrian.
Fran Escriba has decided to make 10 changes to the Villarreal side that started the victory against Roma during the week, with only Bruno retaining his place in a heavily-altered line-up that shows just one change to the one that beat Real Sociedad.
Meanwhile, Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has made two alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Raphael Varane and James Rodriguez making way for Pepe and Gareth Bale, the latter of whom is set to make his first league start since last November.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: VILLARREAL 0-0 REAL MADRID
It's been an excellent first half for Villarreal, who have dominated the game and look the more likely of the two sides to open the scoring. Madrid have been overrun in the centre of the pitch and have really struggled to get into the contest, with Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale all seeing their chances limited due to excellent defending from the home side.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: VILLARREAL 2-3 REAL MADRID
Boos ring around the stadium as the two teams make their way off the pitch, and it's no wonder why. Villarreal were excellent and fully deserved to go 2-0 up, but after that they were torn apart by a rampant Madrid side who were finally able to fire on all cylinders. The league leaders left it late, but they showed why they are such a force to be reckoned with, resulting in them leaving with three much-needed points.
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