Real Madrid News
Real Madrid ace Federico Valverde punched Villarreal’s Alex Baena after La Liga encounter – report
Real Madrid and Villarreal fought with their all on the field on Saturday night in a game that eventually ended 3-2 in Quique Setien’s side’s favour. Yet, one incident transcended the brawls on the field and stole the headlines on Sunday morning.
The main feature of the story was Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde punching Villarreal’s Alejandro Baena in the face after the game. The incident took place in the bus area where the Uruguayan waited for the Villarreal player’s arrival before exchanging words and smacking him one in the face while he was using his phone.
According to MARCA, the backstory for the same dates back to the last time the two teams met in the Copa del Rey. After a crunching tackle on Valverde on the night, Baena made a nasty comment about the midfielder’s personal life on a topic that he has, on many occasions, revealed to be his point of weakness.
“Cry now that your son is not going to be born,” he told Valverde who was dangerously close to losing his second child earlier this year.
Doctors had given the couple a very poor prognosis for the case, and the situation pushed Valverde to the edge of a psychological breakdown. Later, however, the player and his partner found out the baby was healthy which also led to Valverde’s thumb-sucking celebration in the Club World Cup final.
Baena is understood to have made more incendiary comments towards Valverde during last night’s match as well and that did not go down with the Real Madrid midfielder.
Confronting him near the Villarreal bus last night, Valverde got his revenge with physical aggression, by allegedly punching Baena.
The police were present during the incident and Villarreal have the entire footage on video. The Yellow Submarines will not file any complaint over the events, and everything is in the hands of Baena who has come out on his social media to deny all allegations of making statements about Valverde’s child.
“Fede never has problems with anyone and this has been due to something very serious that comes from before,” the midfielder’s entourage told MARCA.
It remains to be seen how the situation evolved and whether legal action will be taken against Real Madrid’s Uruguayan star. The story could drag on for months to come unless the two players find solace off the field.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
