The star, Karim Benzema, led Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Valladolid in the fifteenth round of the Spanish Football League.
Sharjah 24 – Asaad Khalil:
Five weeks following the disappointment of his absence from the World Cup due to injury, Frenchman Karim Benzema achieved a successful return to the stadiums, led by Real Madrid, the defending champion, to end the year with a victory over its host, Valladolid, following scoring a double victory 2-0 in the fifteenth stage of the Spanish Football League.
Benzema returned to the Royal Club squad for the first time following an absence of two months, and played in the front line alongside Brazilian Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio, in a meeting that the two teams began with a minute of silence to mourn the death of Brazilian legend Pele, Thursday, at the age of 82, following a struggle with colon cancer.
Benzema, who finally won the Golden Ball, was chosen as part of the French national team for the World Cup in Qatar, but a thigh injury during training prompted him to withdraw on the eve of the opening match.
And with the end of the World Cup, in which the “roosters” finished runner-up following losing in the final once morest Argentina on penalties, Benzema announced the end of his international career with his country following 37 goals in 97 matches.
– Barcelona have a chance to move away –
Benzema’s participation did not bring much in the Friday match until the last minutes when he scored his first goal from a penalty kick (83), then added the second in the 89th minute, raising his tally to 7 goals in the league this season.
Benzema gave Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti’s team the lead temporarily in their last match for this year, by a point in front of rivals Barcelona, which meets Saturday with its neighbor Espanyol.
Real was the best party and got several opportunities to open the scoring, the first of which was Asensio with a shot from the outskirts of the area, goalkeeper Jordi Masip shone in blocking it, then Benzema missed a golden opportunity following the ball fell in front of a shot from Vinicius that Masip blocked, but the owner of the golden ball knocked it over the crossbar (18) .
Real returned to threaten his host’s goal through Vinicius this time, following the Brazilian manipulated two defenders before he shot, but Maseb was on the lookout for him (37).
The owner of the land almost opened the scoring from the first serious attempt, but Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was on time to block Alvaro Aguado’s shot (37).
Real continued its advantage in the second half and threatened its host’s goal through Asensio, who received the ball from Benzema and hit it from a difficult angle into the side net (50), then Sergio Leon responded with a very dangerous header that Courtois shone in blocking it (68).
Real tried in the last minutes and Benzema tested his fortunes from the outskirts of the area, but the goalkeeper shone in defending his own goal (78), then relief came to Real when the referee awarded him a penalty kick following arguing to “VAR” following a handball on Javi Sanchez that Sergio Leon objected to. This led to his expulsion, and Benzema succeeded in her (83).
Then the French top scorer finally decided the three points by adding the second goal in the 89th minute, following a pass from his compatriot Eduardo Camavinga (89).
– Sevilla stay in danger zone –
And Seville remained in the danger zone following failing to win the sixth stage in a row, despite the help of Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli, by drawing with its host Celta Vigo with a goal by Kiki Salas (54) once morest a goal by Gabriel Vega (33), in a meeting that was completed by the Andalusian club with ten players in the last minutes. After Jose Angel Carmona was sent off (86).
The team that finished fourth last season and was one of Spain’s representatives in the Champions League, where its career ended at the group stage to complete its continental campaign in the “Europa League”, will finish the year in eighteenth place with 12 points, on goal difference once morest Cadiz XIX, which tied Friday with Almeria 1-1. .
Getafe inflicted its first defeat on its guest, Real Sociedad, since October 19, and the fourth this season, by beating it with two clean goals to Borja Mayoral (51 and 78), who scored a brace for the second time in his career out of 118 league matches.
With its first victory since October 31 and the fourth this season, Getafe raised its tally to 17 points in fourteenth place, while Mallorca’s balance stuck at 19 points.
