Real Madrid overcomes Valencia hurdle in La Liga

February 09, 2026 / 10:51 AM

Sharjah 24: Real Madrid overcame their significant absences and successfully passed the test against Valencia with a 2-0 victory in the 23rd round of the Spanish La Liga, reducing the gap with league leaders Barcelona to just one point.

Alvaro Carreras and Kylian Mbappe scored the goals for Real Madrid in the 65th and 90+1 minutes, respectively.

Real Madrid now has 57 points, one point behind Barcelona, who leads with 58. Valencia remains on 23 points in 17th place, just one point ahead of Rayo Vallecano in 18th place, the first relegation spot.

Fifth consecutive goal in his last four La Liga appearances

Mbappe increased his tally to 23 goals, maintaining his lead in the top scorers' chart, and to 38 goals in 31 matches across all competitions. This marked his fifth consecutive goal in his last four La Liga appearances since returning from injury.

Coach Alvaro Arbeloa's team was missing several key players, most notably England's Jude Bellingham and Brazilians Rodrygo and Eder Militao due to injury, in addition to the absence of Brazilian international Vinicius Junior, who was suspended.