Real Madrid leave it late to snatch 1-1 draw at Valencia ahead of El Clasico

Real Madrid managed to avoid a defeat away to Valencia on Sunday night. Karim Benzema's 95th-minute strike helped Zinedine Zidane's men keep pace with Barcelona at the top of the LaLiga table. The visitors secured a draw despite the game clearly not being their best in a long time. 

Also Read | Clasico Leaves Real Madrid And Barca Vulnerable To Distractions

LaLiga: Valencia vs Real Madrid match report

Valencia looked to frustrate Real Madrid as they chose to sit back and hit the visitors on the break. Both sides could have scored in the first half itself after Ferran Torres and Karim Benzema failed to make their chances count. The first half was quite an evenly-matched affair with Real Madrid having the bulk of the possession. The second half saw a much-adventurous Valencia trying to attack Real Madrid, who were clearly struggling to contain the pace of the Valencia attackers. Carlos Soler struck for the home side in the 78th minute after Daniel Parejo and Daniel Wass combined well to feed an onrushing Soler with a well-timed pass. Despite all the pressure, Los Blancos failed to really test Valencia in the second half. Real Madrid's persistence was finally rewarded in the 95th minute of the game when Karim Benzema fired home from close range to salvage a point for the visitors. Thibaut Courtois joined the attack for Real Madrid and his powerful header drew a save from Juame, which rolled into the path of Benzema for the equaliser. The game ended at 1-1.

Also Read | Barcelona Overtake Real Madrid For The First Time To Top Forbes' Top-earning Clubs List

Real Madrid failed to capitalise after Barcelona drew at Real Sociedad the other night. They are tied at 35 points with Barcelona with the latter ahead only on goal difference. Meanwhile, Valencia remain 8th in the league, 3 points off fourth-placed Getafe. Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet at Camp Nou next in the LaLiga. Considering all the off-field unrest in Catalonia, it's expected to be a heated encounter on December 18.

Also Read | Real Madrid Manager Zinedine Zidane Takes A Dig At Liverpool Ahead Of UCL Draw

LaLiga: Valencia vs Real Madrid player ratings

Valencia

Juame - 7/10

Juame Costa - 6/10

Ezequiel Garay - 7/10

Gabriel Paulista - 6.5/10

Jose Gaya - 7.5/10

Daniel Wass - 7.5/10

Francis Coquelin - 7/10

Daniel Parejo - 7/10

Carlos Soler - 7.5/10

Ferran Torres - 6.5/10

Rodrigo - 7/10

Substitutes: Manuel Vallejo - 6/10, Geoffrey Kondogbia - NA, Mouctar Diakhaby - NA

Real Madrid 

Thibaut Courtois - 6/10

Nacho Fernandez - 7/10

Sergio Ramos - 7/10

Raphael Varane - 6.5/10

Daniel Carvajal - 6.5/10

Luka Modric - 6.5/10

Federico Valverde - 7/10

Toni Kroos - 7/10

Isco - 6/10

Karim Benzema - 8.5/10

Rodrygo - 6.5/10

Substitutes: Gareth Bale - 6/10, Vinicius Junior - 6/10, Luka Jovic - NA

Also Read | Real Madrid, Juventus Among Europe's Top Clubs Vouching For Champions League Revamp