Valencia 1-1 Real Madrid: 3 Talking Points as Los Blancos fail to win | La Liga 2019-20

It was late drama at the Mestalla Stadium as Real Madrid scored deep in stoppage time to pull level with their hosts Valencia.

Real Madrid was firmly in control of proceedings in the first half, however, they failed to make their dominance count, as it was all level at the break. In the second half, Los Blancos were made to rue their missed chances, with a more purposeful Valencia side turning up after the interval.

With 12 minutes to go, the hosts took the lead, as Carlos Soler scored his first La Liga goal of the season to stun the giants from the capital city. However, Los Blancos continued chipping away after the hosts scored what seemed the winner, and in the second minute of stoppage time, Luka Jovic had a goal disallowed for offside.

In the dying embers of the game, Zinedine Zidane's men stunned their hosts as the ball fell to Karim Benzema, who expertly whipped it past the Valencia goalline for a last gasp equaliser.

In this article, we discuss a few talking points from the encounter.

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#3 Real Madrid failed to capitalise on Barcelona's slip up

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane

Ahead of El Clasico next week, the summit of the La Liga table looks firmly poised, as the Spanish powerhouses of Real Madrid and Barcelona are only separated by goal difference. Los Blancos had a golden opportunity to go past their archrivals in this game, as Lionel Messi's Barcelona were forced to share the spoils with Real Sociedad yesterday.

Zinedine Zidane's men had the upper hand in the first 45 minutes, but a combination of dogged defending from the home side and a hint of wastefulness ensured Los Blancos didn't capitalise on a very dominant spell.

At the end of the game, it was two points lost for Zidane's men rather than a point gained, as the opportunity to dislodge Barca from the summit of the LaLiga table was needlessly wasted.

The next instalment of the Clasico will be quite a heated affair, as the bitter cocktail of politics and sports will be served aplenty on the day of the encounter. With both sides level on points ahead of the footballing showpiece, it adds an edgier angle to the tale next Wednesday.

#2 Awful defending from Real Madrid

Carlos Soler blasts the ball beyond the reach of Thibaut Courtois

Real Madrid's commendable performance was once again accompanied by a blip in the rearguard. A momentary lapse in concentration perhaps cost Zinedine and his men two points, as shoddy defending and a fine attacking move gifted Valencia the opener in the encounter.

Dani Parejo passed the ball to Daniel Wass who then nudged his way past Nacho quite easily, before setting up an unmarked Carlos Soler for the game's opener.

Replays showed how Soler easily waltzed into Real Madrid's defence, with Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos ball watching, enabling the 22-year-old to comfortably pick a spot in Thibaut Courtois' goal.

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#1 Karim Benzema continues to shine

Karim Benzema

This season has certainly been kind to Karim Benzema, as after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, he has finally stepped to the plate

The Frenchman has been in imperial form lately, and he continues to rack up his goal count, thanks to his cool-headed finish in the final few minutes of the encounter. Thibaut Courtois' header was punched back into danger by the Valencia goalkeeper, and the ball fell kindly to Benzema who finished with aplomb.

The Frenchman's stats have been impressive so far, as, in 15 La Liga matches, he has scored 12 goals and provided five assists.