Real Madrid Held to Draw by Villarreal at Home in La Liga
Villarreal Earn a Point in Hard-Fought Contest
Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain - February 12, 2022
Real Madrid's title hopes suffered a blow as they were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Villarreal CF at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Saturday. The home side went behind in the first half to a Gerard Moreno penalty but fought back to equalize through Karim Benzema. Villarreal held on for a deserved point, much to the frustration of the Madrid faithful.
The visitors made an excellent start to the match and forced Thibaut Courtois into a number of saves. Their efforts were rewarded in the 16th minute when Dani Carvajal brought down Samuel Chukwueze in the penalty area. Moreno stepped up to take the spot-kick and coolly slotted the ball home.
Madrid looked to respond immediately, but they found Villarreal's defense well-organized and difficult to break down. The hosts did have a few chances to equalize, but they were unable to find the back of the net. Villarreal could have extended their lead in the second half, but Moreno missed a gilt-edged chance to score his second goal.
Madrid finally got their equalizer in the 65th minute when Karim Benzema scored with a powerful header from a Toni Kroos cross. The goal seemed to spark Madrid into life, and they pressed for a winner in the closing stages. However, Villarreal held firm and were able to secure a valuable point away from home.
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