Following a complicated and polemic recent history, Real Madrid beat Valencia 4-0 in more tempered meeting.
Real Madrid’s previous meetings with Valencia have been some of the more controversial and politically charged matches in La Liga’s recent history. Last night, the two teams met again under the lights of the Bernabeu, and it was interesting to see what developments have been made and how the relationship between the two teams has progressed.
On the 21st of May 2023, an infamous match posed as the setting for an abhorrent display of racial abuse hurled at Real Madrid’s forward Vinícius Jr. The match was brought to a halt when Vini identified multiple Valencia fans who had shouted racial slurs at him, calling him a “monkey” and making ape gestures at him.
The incident led to three Valencia fans being arrested and charged for their behaviour. Valencia issued a club statement condemning their fans actions and reiterating their commitment to investigating the incident in collaboration with Real Madrid and the relevant authorities.
A year on, in 2024, a verdict was finally delivered and the three men were sentenced to eight years in prison and a two-year stadium ban.
There have long been issues with racism within the football world, and while this particular incident was shocking, it has created waves that have altered the course of football corporations’ processes for dealing with discrimination.
Vini himself said last year “In the club, we talk about it more often” and that “[he can] already see and feel the difference in Spain. Maybe [some fans] are still racists but nowadays they are afraid to express themselves in the football field, and in places where there are a lot of cameras”.
Tonight offered the chance to see just how things have progressed in the last year since then and how both team’s commitment to reducing racism is ongoing.
Whilst there was still a fierce sense of competition between the two teams, despite the sizeable gap that separates them in the league, it was certainly of a healthy and civil nature.
The first half was littered with action, seeing off 3 spectacular goals from the men in white. A penalty awarded to Los Blancos after a foul in the Valencia boxed offered Mbappé the chance to make up for him penalty miss in El Clásico. This time he made sure to bury it in the net. In fact, the pre-kick off presentation of his recently won Golden Boot served as a piece of positive foreshadowing as the Real Madrid striker went on to score another goal later in the first half.
Bellingham also made sure to leave his mark on the game by scoring and absolute screamer from well outside the box in the 43rd minute, seeing off a successful half. Valencia played with verve and managed to see of multiple attacks from their opponents but sadly they were never quite able to get their foot in the in the door.
The second half, however, felt almost like a different game. The energy and momentum of both sides seemed to grind to a rather abrupt halt. Real Madrid clearly felt comfortable in their 3-0 lead and appeared content to sit back on their haunches and spend the half calmly passing amongst themselves in the midfield.
But then, all of a sudden, there was a last minute injection of life into the game as Carreras took advantage of a split-second gap in the 82nd minute and sent the ball flying into the top right corner, solidifying his team’s victory by a 4 goal lead.
Whilst an occasion for celebration for Los Blancos, there is no doubt that the match versus Valencia is always a sensitive one, especially for Vini Jr. Despite his failed penalty shot, Vini played well for the duration of his time on pitch and demonstrated his value within the team. This defiant performance is one to be proud of, especially considering the circumstances and the emotional toll that Real Madrid’s past with Valencia has taken on him.
It was certainly encouraging to see that the game was able to play out without incident. It shows a definite step in the right direction when it comes to the crackdown on racism within football.
Hopefully the sport will continue to follow this positive trajectory and football clubs and bodies will continue to hold those who partake in such behaviour accountable. It is a huge task but a necessary and important one.
