Costa now gets a booking for a foul on Carvajal and Madrid have a set-piece chance of their own.
90'
The hosts can’t convert it into anything worthwhile though and the opportunity slips away. There will be three added minutes for either side to find a winner.
89'
Sergio Ramos gets yellow.
Ramos comes in heavy on Bacca 35 yards out from the Madrid goal and Villarreal have a set-piece chance on the right wing, with the Los Blancos captain shown a yellow card.
86'
Vinícius Júnior enters the game and replaces T. Kroos.
Madrid make their final change, throwing on Vinicius Junior to replace Kroos.
85'
Save by Asenjo! Isco launches an absolute thunderbolt of a strike from the right edge of the box, 15 yards out or so, and the keeper holds his nerve to stop it in its tracks.
84'
End-to-end stuff once more as Isco sees an attempt blocked and Bacca is then caught offside from another pacey counter-move from the hosts.
82'
Manu Trigueros enters the game and replaces Javi Fuego.
Santi Cazorla has scored a goal for Villarreal! Assist by Pablo Fornals.
Villarreal make their final change with Trigueros replacing Fuego.
CAZORLA AT THE DOUBLE! 2-2! Villarreal are back on level pegging with a close-range header from the man who ensured they started this game in such brilliant fashion. Fornals delivers the pass to find him near the right post and the home crowd erupts!
Madrid look a little gobsmacked by that. Fornals did great work to keep himself onside in the build-up too, following another swift counter-attack from his team.
81'
Some sensational breakaway play from Villarreal sends Madrid backpedalling at a fair clip, and they arrive in time to throw off Cazorla as he looks to cross, with the latter sticking his effort wildly out for a goal-kick.
78'
Carvajal concedes a Villarreal corner, before redeeming himself with a deft clearance in the box. Madrid’s defence has been pretty equal to the task of Villarreal’s spirit in this second half.
Minute
Description
72'
Madrid look to break down the other end but Isco’s throughball catches Benzema offside.
71'
Gonzalez! The Villarreal man rises for the set-piece and tucks it the wrong side of the right post.
70'
Chukwueze nips into the box and slams a shot off Ramos, winning a corner after being unable to get the ball around the Madrid captain.
68'
C. Bacca enters the game and replaces Gerard Moreno.
Villarreal make their second change, bringing on Bacca for Moreno up front.
64'
F. Valverde enters the game and replaces L. Modrić.
Madrid make their second change of the game, replacing Modric with Valverde.
Chance for Moreno! He slices his shot wide of the left post from close-range for Villarreal. The hosts are continuing to grow in confidence.
63'
K. Toko-Ekambi enters the game and replaces S. Cáseres.
Villarreal make their first change of the game, introducing Toko Ekambi for Caseres.
62'
Ruiz rises up to meet another set-piece in the middle of the box and puts his looping header wide to the left of the net.
61'
Back-to-back corners for Villarreal now yield no great chances either, with a penalty shout for a foul on Moreno also waved down by the referee.
59'
Both sets of players come together now following a foul by Carvajal on Costa, as in the aftermath, the Villarreal man pushes Benzema. The referee defuses the situation and the hosts have a free-kick inside their own half.
57'
Villarreal are yet to carve themselves out a clear-cut chance in this second half, despite the fact they’re pushing up stronger down the wings in an attempt to pepper the Madrid box.
55'
There’s an absolutely furious response from the home crowd after Layun is brought down in midfield and the referee keeps play rolling. Kroos looked to be the man who committed the foul, and it goes unpunished in this instance.
48'
An exchange of early fouls between Chukwueze and Benzema suggests a niggly twitchiness between both sides still remains. Madrid aren’t fully comfortable with their lead, especially with Villarreal still in the hunt.
46'
Isco enters the game and replaces G. Bale.
Madrid make their first change of the game, replacing Bale with Isco after that injury to the former.
We’re back underway for the second half in this LaLiga clash. Will Villarreal be able to best Los Blancos, or will the visitors retain their lead?
45' +3
HALF-TIME: VILLARREAL 1-2 REAL MADRID
45' +2
Fornals tries from distance in the second minute of injury time, but can only watch as his shot takes a block off Varane.
45'
Álvaro González gets yellow.
Gonzalez gets a booking now for a late challenge on Benzema, though there appears to be some discussion as to whether the Madrid man simulated his fall or not.
43'
This is becoming a little bit of a nip-and-tuck encounter, with both sides tackling with a rather uneven approach despite the relatively free-flowing nature of play, as Carvajal avoids a yellow for a foul.
41'
Casemiro gets yellow.
Casemiro doesn’t come in so much as late in a tackle as he makes what appears to be a deliberate trip. The referee pulls both cards out of his pocket – and it’s a yellow that is ultimately brandished to the Madrid man for his indiscretion.
39'
The game resumes with Bale alright to continue for now. Whatever the issue is, that could prompt a swap at half-time from his manager, with a Copa del Rey clash looming in the coming days.
37'
The Welshman now goes down a second time for Madrid and play is brought to a halt after he stays on the turf. It’s not too clear what’s going on with Bale, but physios are flocking to him.
35'
Bale goes over in a challenge and although he’s back on his feet quickly enough, he’s got a grimace plastered across his face. That could be concerning for the visitors if it turns out to be something.
32'
Benzema picks up a pass from Bale and looks to whip a shot in, though Ruiz gets his body in the way to block it and send the ball arcing off into open play.
30'
Garcia’s side have shown enterprise and spirit so far since going down too. At times this season, they’ve folded – but a visit from one of the heavy hitters in LaLiga seems to be bringing out the best in them.
28'
It’s a poor set-piece from the hosts and Varane clears it easily enough.
27'
Chukwueze! Latching onto a short-range cross, the Villarreal man sees his shot from the centre of the box take a ricochet off a defender for a corner.
26'
Bale pounds a left-footer in from outside the box. It’s a speculative effort at best and Asenjo is untroubled by it.
24'
Kroos and Modric are delivering the goods so far out wide for Madrid, though Casemiro is looking a touch uneven. He’s not playing poorly, it must be said – but given Llorente’s rise to form in recent months, he does lack a little bit of that zip so far.
20'
R. Varane has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by T. Kroos.
Kroos could have found any number of attackers around the box there, with an excellent delivery that caught the Villarreal defence short. Great stuff from the midfielder.
VARANE WITH THE HEADER FOR MADRID! 2-1! The visitors hit the front for the first time as the defender rises up to meet the set-piece from Kroos and put a bouncing header into the bottom-right corner past Asenjo. It’s a textbook finish and one sure to settle the nerves for Los Blancos.
19'
The visitors pick up a free-kick now, around 35 yards or so out on the right wing after Carvajal is fouled by Cazorla. Kroos will be the man to take it for Madrid.
17'
A breakaway from Villarreal! Layun smashes a shot into a defender as he tries to go from distance, following some swift counter-attacking football.
15'
Asenjo blocks a Vazquez effort on the edge of his six-yard box and Madrid win a corner, though they fail to convert it into a credible chance.
10'
Benzema comes again now, this time with a more speculative header from distance near the edge of the box. It sails wide of the left post in the end, with a looping trajectory that puts it out of the goalkeeper’s reach.
8'
It was looking so rosy for Villarreal after that early pressure too. But with their first serious attack of the game, the Champions League holders have cut through them like a hot knife through butter.
7'
K. Benzema has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Lucas Vázquez.
Assist Lucas Vázquez Iglesias
BENZEMA LEVELS FOR MADRID! 1-1! Vazquez is slipped through on the right wing and he squares a cross back inside. The striker is lurking in the middle of the box and it's a deft header to finish off. The referee initially nixes the goal for offside but then lets it stand a moment later. All square again!
5'
That’s a shock to the system for Madrid in their first game since becoming club world champions. They’ll be looking for a fast response after that.
4'
Santi Cazorla has scored a goal for Villarreal! Assist by S. Chukwueze.
CAZORLA FOR VILLARREAL! 1-0! Sensational stuff from the hosts to go up inside the first five minutes! A collection of crossfield passes catches Madrid out on the attack and Chukwueze slips a neat throughball into the left of the box. Cazorla’s finish is the cherry on top though, a beautifully curled shot that skims into the far-bottom corner past Courtois’ outstretched hands.
Chukwueze could have gone for goal himself there, with a clear shot between two defenders. In playing it across though, he drew them tighter in the box, allowing his team-mate to exploit the space made available.
2'
Early chance for the hosts! Chukwueze races down the right wing, into the box and fires a close-range effort at Courtois that the keeper neatly parries.
1'
We are underway in this LaLiga clash between Villarreal and Real Madrid!
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2018-19 LaLiga campaign as Real Madrid return from their mid-season break with a trip to Villarreal.
Santiago Solari’s side sit eight points off league leaders Barcelona as they look to close the gap – and this game in hand, thanks to their Club World Cup appearance, gives them prime opportunity, especially against a relegation-threatened host.
Luis Garcia’s side will still feel that they will be able to haul themselves free of the dogfight at the bottom however. Perched in 18th, this spare match could see them overtake Athletic Bilbao with a win and get out of the bottom three. Could they spring an upset?
VILLARREAL (4-1-3-2): Sergio Asenjo; Miguel Layun, Alvaro Gonzalez, Víctor Ruiz, Jaume Costa; Javi Fuego; Santiago Caseres, Pablo Fornals, Santi Cazorla; Samuel Chukwueze, Gerard Moreno.
REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Daniel Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modric; Lucas Vazquez, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale.
Subs: Alfonso Pedraza, Andres Fernandez, Karl Toko Ekambi, Carlos Bacca, Manu Trigueros, Manuel Morlanes, Ramiro Funes Mori.
The teams are out and we’re moments away from kick-off.
The Champions League holders are on top in this tie as expected – but they’ve not had the easiest of rides so far. Karim Benzema’s header was needed in quick order to cancel out Santi Cazorla’s wonderful opener and then Raphael Varane added another to give them the lead. It’s been a fast-paced game so far though, and Los Blancos aren’t out of the woods yet. At half-time, it’s Villarreal 1-2 Real Madrid.
Gareth Bale looks to have been carrying a little bit of a knock late on in the first half there. Will he reappear after the break or will Santiago Solari not risk him further?
Both teams are back in LaLiga action this coming weekend as Madrid host Real Sociedad and Villarreal travel to Eibar. Until then however, thank you for joining us – and have a great week!
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