REAL MADRID blew a chance to ramp up the pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona in the title race as they fell 2-1 at Villarreal in a disjointed display on Saturday.

Yeremy Pino and Gerard Moreno’s strikes either side of Karim Benzema’s penalty were enough to give the hosts a sixth consecutive victory across all competitions and dent the Spanish champions’ bid to retain the trophy.

Madrid remain level on points with league leaders Barcelona, who face Atletico Madrid on Sunday, and this season the country’s two giants seem destined to tussle over the title themselves.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side caught up with Barcelona last weekend after Xavi’s team drew with Espanyol in the Catalan derby, but Madrid have not started 2023 particularly well.

Madrid’s slim Spanish Cup victory over fourth-tier opponents Cacereno was followed by this bruising wake-up call at the renovated and newly reopened Estadio de la Ceramica, their second league defeat.

Ancelotti selected a Madrid starting line-up without a Spanish player in it for the first time in the club’s history, according to media reports in Spain.

Los Blancos have struggled away at Villarreal in recent years, with two wins in 11 visits, the last coming in 2017 when Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Alvaro Morata were on the scoresheet.

Quique Setien’s side, building confidence after a tough start for the former Barcelona coach, comprehensively outplayed Madrid in the first half, albeit without the goal they craved.

Francis Coquelin hit the post with a wonderful flick from Alberto Moreno’s cross, while Dani Parejo fired wide.

Gerard Moreno played in Yeremy Pino but Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois did brilliantly to thwart the Spanish winger as he attempted to dribble round him.

Alex Baena drilled one effort wide and curled another narrowly over as Villarreal carved open Madrid’s sluggish defence at will.

Madrid, still suffering after the World Cup break, began to pry themselves towards the end of the first half.

Benzema chose poorly when racing through on goal with Vinicius in support, crashing into last man Raul Albiol instead of springing the Brazilian.

When the French forward then did tee up Vinicius, he was denied by veteran goalkeeper Pepe Reina, starting after Geronimo Rulli’s move to Ajax.

- Pino power -

Villarreal began the second half with the same vigour and this time it did pay off, with the electric Pino slamming home from Moreno’s pass.

Benzema immediately had a chance to equalise but dragged a shot inches wide of the far post after being slipped in by Vinicius.

The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner eventually levelled from the spot after the most marginal of handball decisions was given against Argentine World Cup winner Juan Foyth after an hour.

Villarreal were infuriated but just three minutes later were gifted a soft penalty themselves when David Alaba slipped and touched the ball with his hand.

Moreno sent Thibaut Courtois the wrong way to restore the hosts’ lead and they clung to it tightly.

Rodrygo Goes fired wide as Madrid hunted for an equaliser before Vinicius sprinted through on goal but fired over the bar when he might have scored.

Madrid travel to Saudi Arabia next to take part in the Spanish Super Cup — but first they face an anxious wait to see if Barcelona drop points in the capital.

Elsewhere, Danilo made sure that Juventus paid the perfect tribute to deceased former captain Gianluca Vialli by netting the only goal in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Udinese which fired the Turin giants second in Serie A.

Massimilano Allegri’s team jumped one point above AC Milan and to within just four of league leaders Napoli thanks to a beautifully-constructed goal finished off by the Brazilian defender four minutes from the end at the Allianz Stadium.

Danilo extended Juve’s league-winning streak to eight games, a run in which they haven’t conceded a goal, after Federico Chiesa controlled fellow substitute Leandro Paredes’ delicate chip and then played a perfect pass across goal.

That was one of the few clear-cut chances Juve created against eighth-placed Udinese, who were missing their talisman Gerard Deulofeu and are winless in nine matches.

On Friday, Juve travel to Napoli, who on Sunday are in action at Sampdoria, where former Italy forward Vialli — a victim of pancreatic cancer — played most of his football and may be mourned the most.

“After the win, our first thoughts go to Gianluca Vialli. He was a great guy, I was lucky enough to have had him in my life,” said Italy forward Chiesa.

The 25-year-old was part of the Italy team which won Euro 2020, and hailed Vialli’s role in that triumph despite him not having a coaching role with the Azzurri set-up.

“You could speak for hours and hours about what a great man he was,” Chiesa added.

“This win is for him”

Champions Milan will move back into second if they beat Roma in Sunday’s late match, and sit two points ahead of Inter Milan after Denzel Dumfries’ stoppage-time own goal led to them drawing 2-2 at Monza.

Spirited Monza are nine points clear of the relegation zone in their first ever Serie A season thanks to Dumfries deflecting former Inter youth player Luca Caldirola’s header into his own net.

However, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi was livid that a Francesco Acerbi strike had not been given 10 minutes earlier because referee Juan Luca Sacchi blew for a non-existent foul before the ball went in, leaving VAR powerless to intervene.

“We’re very angry, because it’s a clear mistake. After five years of VAR… Everyone knows to wait and see what happens,” said Inzaghi to Sky.

- Vialli remembered -

It was an emotional day for many Juve fans, who will remember Vialli as the last captain to lead their team to a major European honour more than a quarter of a century ago.

Fans brought jerseys emblazoned with the former Italy striker’s name, while one flag in the Allianz Stadium stands depicted the moment he lifted the Champions League trophy in 1996.

Gianluca Pessotto, who played over 250 times for Juventus and was alongside Vialli in that triumphant campaign, hailed “a captain. A friend,” in his pre-match eulogy on the pitch.

“You were our leader on and off the field,” said former Italy international Pessotto who is now sporting director of Juve’s youth academy.

“Nobody will ever forget the memories you gave us with your football and your goals. We will miss your smile so much.”

Juve were also mourning former Italy defender Ernesto Castano, who won three Serie A titles with the Turin giants in the 1960s and died aged 83 on Thursday.

Castano won the 1968 European Championship with his country and was a founding member of the Italian Footballers Association alongside the likes of Gianni Rivera.

Also bidding a farewell of sorts was Andrea Agnelli, at his final home game as Juve chairman after announcing his resignation late last year with the club accused by prosecutors in Turin of a variety of financial crimes.

Agnelli, along with the rest of the club’s board — including former star midfielder Pavel Nedved — will be replaced later this month but he still had time to hand Massimiliano Allegri the manager of the month award before kick-off.

– © AFP 2023

Originally published at 17.56