Marco Asensio stunner lead Real Madrid past 10-man Valencia

Real Madrid defeated struggling Valencia 2-0 on Thursday with goals from Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior, with the visitors finishing with 10 men. 18 minutes from the finish, Valencia defender Gabriel Paulista was given a straight red for tackling Vinicius in a reckless manner, nearly igniting a fight amongst players. The LaLiga champions increased their point total to 45 and are now in second position, five points behind Barcelona. Valencia, who sacked manager Gennaro Gattuso on Wednesday, are in 14th place with 20 points, one place above the relegation zone, and are on a five-game losing streak. As the club attempts to close out games, Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courto is expressed satisfaction with the team's defence and noted improvements.the distance to Barcelona's leaders. "Our streak of tidy sheets now stands at three. However, I would have chosen to give up the other day and win [against Real Sociedad], since the three points are usually the most crucial "explained Courtois. "Against La Real and in Bilbao, our defence has improved. They didn't have many opportunities today. We succeeded. We didn't score in the first half, but we did in the second, and after the red card, the final 15 minutes were simpler." Real, who are attempting to defend their championship, are under pressure from Barca, their bitter rivals, who have gone 14 games without losing in all competitions and are now riding a four-game winning run in La Liga. They controlled the game for the majority of the time and were the better side.the pace on a cool Madrid night, but it took them some time to get going on goal, with Vinicius and Karim Benzema missing golden chances in the first half.

VAR overturned an Antonio Rudiger goal that was disallowed due to a Benzema foul in the buildup to halftime. After the interval, Real came out strong and scored twice in two minutes, with Asensio curling a superb strike into the top corner after 52 minutes and Vinicius sliding home from close range to cap off a lightning-quick counterattack. Eder Militao and Karim Benzema's forced departures due to apparent injuries cost Carlo Ancelotti's team the victory, and it was fortunate that Vinicius was able to escape Paulista's reckless attack.

I'm not sure [about the red card], but Vini needs to be protected. Defenders dislike it when he takes guys on because he is so expressive on the field, according to Courtois. It's not unusual. We need Vinicius to break down defences because of his style of play and playing method. I believe he has received several kicks, thus today I'm delighted the referee had the guts to dismiss him. The ball was gone; the situation was absurd. That must serve as a send-off. On Sunday, Real Madrid takes on Mallorca in La Liga, and on Monday, it departs for Morocco to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup. Ancelotti attributed the ailments to playing every three days: "This is what occurs." Militao won't be available on Sunday, but Benzema's