Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior risks a four to 12-match suspension for pushing opposition goalkeeper Stol Dmitrievsky during the 79th minute of the La Liga match against Valencia, which ended 2-1 at the Mestella . The Brazilian player was sent out after the incident. According to Spanish La Liga rules, such aggressive behavior without attempting to play the ball is punishable by suspension. According to Spanish-language media outlet Mundo Deportivo, Vinicius will likely receive a minimum punishment of four matches. This could rule him out of participation in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Mallorca, and if they advance to the final, he could miss the match against Barcelona or Athletic Bilbao.
Vinicius has been with Real Madrid since July 2018. He has played a total of 286 matches for the club, scoring 97 goals and providing 83 assists. He was recently named the Best Player of 2024 at the FIFA Best Awards.
Real Madrid won at the Mestalla in La Liga Matchday 12, going top of the table in the process, with the match being postponed due to flooding. Real Madrid were trailing 1-0 at half-time, but in the second half, and with everything going against them, the defending champions once again showed that they would not give up until the end. Despite being down a player when Vinny Jr. was sent off in the 79th minute, Ancelotti’s side came from behind with goals from Modric in the 85th minute and Bellingham in extra time.
It didn’t feel like it was the first game after the Christmas break. The first half was played at a very fast pace with both sides creating many chances. Ancelotti’s side had the first chance after five minutes when Lucas Vazquez beat Valverde but his powerful shot was blocked by Dmitrievsky.
The home team responded twice and on both occasions there were two brilliant stops by Courtois, the first in the 7th minute following Hugo Duro’s shot inside the area and the second in a one-on-one battle with Foulquier five minutes later.
The game showed no signs of slowing down and Valencia took the lead before half an hour. Courtois made a brilliant save on Javi Guerra’s shot from inside the area, but Hugo Duro took advantage of the rebound and scored in the 27th minute. From that moment until the break, Ancelotti’s side looked for an equalizer and Tchoumeni and Valverde came closest with long-range shots in the 34th and 38th minutes respectively. The best chance came after a brilliant pass from Ceballos which put Vinny Jr. one-on-one with Dmitrievsky, but he again made the save for his team.
However, Real Madrid managed to turn things around in the second half and took the full three points. But the possible ban on Vinnie Jr. will remain a matter of concern for the next few matches.
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