"The deadlock was broken in somewhat fortuitous circumstances on 39 minutes. Valverde's free-kick was palmed straight back into the danger area by goalkeeper Dituro, and Antonio Rudiger reacted fastest to guide a composed finish into the top-left corner. Madrid needed only five minutes to double their advantage. Valverde collected the ball on the edge of the box, took his time and curled an unstoppable right-footed effort into the top-right corner."
"It was his fifth goal in three games across all competitions, following his Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City in midweek. Academy trust pays off. Arbeloa rang the changes at the hour mark, withdrawing several first-team regulars and handing opportunities to a clutch of academy products. Far from disrupting the performance, the replacements maintained the level."
"The final word belonged to Arda Guler. Picking the ball up deep inside his own half, the substitute spotted Dituro off his line and struck cleanly from 60 yards. The ball sailed into the net, a genuine contender for goal of the match."
Real Madrid secured a commanding 4-1 victory over Elche at the Santiago Bernabeu, closing the gap to Barcelona at the top of La Liga. The first half remained goalless until the 39th minute when Rudiger capitalized on a goalkeeper error to open the scoring. Valverde doubled the lead five minutes later with a curled finish, extending his impressive goal-scoring run. Manager Arbeloa introduced academy players in the second half, and they maintained the team's performance level. Huijsen added a third goal before Elche scored an own goal. Substitute Arda Guler completed the rout with a spectacular 60-yard strike, showcasing Madrid's dominance throughout the match.
Read at 101GREATGOALS.COM
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]