La Liga Roundup: Chukwueze nets 2 as Villarreal stuns Real Madrid

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Samuel Chukwueze upstaged Vinicius Junior by scoring twice in an impressive efficiency by the Villarreal ahead to guide its 3-2 comeback win at Real Madrid within the Spanish league on Saturday.

The Nigeria worldwide canceled out a sixth-minute personal aim by teammate Paul Torres when he juked previous Nacho Fernandez to attain his first aim within the thirty ninth minute.

Vinicius put Madrid again in entrance shortly after halftime after he eluded a pack of defenders, however Chukwueze made a go that led to substitute Jose Morales’ equalizer within the seventieth. He then struck the Eightieth-minute winner from lengthy vary to stun the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid’s first dwelling loss within the home league comes 4 days earlier than it hosts Chelsea within the Champions League quarterfinals.

Barcelona can transfer 15 factors away from second-placed Madrid if it beats Girona on Monday.

Needing an unlikely meltdown by Barcelona to get again within the home title race, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti rested a number of regulars for the Chelsea sport. Luka Modric remained on the bench together with Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, Eder Milit?o and Dani Carvajal.

Ancelotti mentioned his workforce would make a greater exhibiting in opposition to Chelsea.

“We should have defended better, but it was difficult for us to be 100% motivated,” Ancelotti mentioned. “Wednesday will be different. On Wednesday we will be full on.”

Quique Setien’s Villarreal, which beat Madrid at dwelling 2-1 this season, moved into fifth place at 4 factors from Real Sociedad in fourth and the final Champions League spot.

DRIBBLING DUEL

Chukwueze, 23, and Vinicius, 22, are among the many greatest dribblers within the league, and their abilities at tormenting defenders had been on full show.

A go by Vinicius was become his personal internet by Torres to place Madrid forward early. And three minutes after halftime with the rating 1-1, the Brazil ahead manufactured a aim all on his personal.

Vinicius appeared hemmed in when he acquired the ball exterior the world with 4 defenders surrounding him. But a fast change of tempo, some fancy footwork, and a nutmeg to slide by defender Aissa Mandi left him beating Pepe Reina for his twenty first aim this season.

Chukwueze had by no means received earlier than at Madrid, however he is aware of rating huge objectives. His late aim allowed Villarreal to upset Bayern Munich to achieve final 12 months’s Champions League semifinals.

But his sport at Madrid topped that.

Chukwueze responded to the personal aim by Torres when he acquired a go from Giovani Lo Celso contained in the field. A slick change of foot prompted Nacho Fernandez to stumble the improper manner and Chukwueze curled a left-footed shot round Thibaut Courtois.

Chukwueze pulled Villarreal again once more late when he dribbled between Fernandez and Dani Ceballos earlier than passing to Alejandro Baena, who laid off for substitute Morales to attain.

His greatest effort got here, nevertheless, when he dribbled throughout the sting of the world earlier than unleashing a strike that dipped over a diving Courtois into the far nook.

Chukwueze described his winner as “a crazy great goal.”

The ahead has 13 in all competitions and 7 objectives in his final 5 league video games.

“This is what you pay the price of a ticket for, to see games like this, and to see Samu Chukwueze make the spectacular feint like he did on his first goal,” Setien mentioned. “His second shot was superb. He practices it in training and put it right in the corner.”

BROTHERS SCORE

Brothers Inaki and Nico Williams each scored to present Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 victory at Espanyol, and dealt new coach Luis Garcia a loss in his debut.

Bilbao’s win got here after it was eradicated by Osasuna from the Copa del Rey semifinals. Nico closed his social media accounts resulting from insults he acquired for his missed possibilities within the second leg of the semifinal.

“The elimination from the cup was a big bow. It has been a hard week, some very difficult days for me,” the 20-year-old Nico mentioned. “My brother knows how I have felt these days.”

ABDE DOUBLE

Abde Ezzalzouli scored twice late to guide Osasuna again for a 2-1 win over last-placed Elche.

The Moroccan ahead, who’s on mortgage from Barcelona, netted the 84th-minute winner with a shot from exterior the world that went in off the put up.

MAKING AMENDS

Mikel Oyarzabal made up for a missed penalty by placing Sociedad forward simply earlier than halftime of its 2-0 win over Getafe.

Oyarzabal, who returned in December from an extended harm layoff, had his Forty fourth-minute spot kick saved by David Soria, however the Spain ahead headed within the opener in first-half stoppage time.

Take Kubo added a second aim.