Valencia 1-1 Real Madrid: 3 reasons why the game ended in a draw | LaLiga 2019-20

#2 Real Madrid left to rue their missed chances early on

Valencia CF v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

Real Madrid, who came into the match knowing that a win could propel them to the top of the league table, took the game by the scruff of the neck early on and created several chances. The likes of Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos kept Valencia goalkeeper Jaume Domenech busy as Los Ches really found themselves on the back foot in the opening exchanges.

Despite coming close to breaking the deadlock in the first half, Real Madrid failed to find the back of the net as Valencia withheld Los Blancos’ early onslaught and slowly took charge of the proceedings.

It seemed like the hosts would return home with all three points after Carlos Soler gave them the lead in the 78th minute, but Karim Benzema’s last-gasp equaliser helped Real Madrid spare the blushes.

Unfortunately, the result was not enough for Zinedine Zidane’s team to leapfrog Barcelona into pole position; it could have been a completely different story had Real Madrid capitalised on their early opportunities.