Real Madrid’s title hopes were dealt a blow as they suffered a 3-2 defeat at home to Villarreal on Saturday, despite taking the lead twice.
The loss came just days after an impressive 4-0 win over rivals Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
The result leaves Real Madrid in second place with 59 points, opening the door for Barcelona to go 15 points clear if they beat Girona on Monday.
Real Madrid took the lead 15 minutes into the game with an own goal by Villarreal’s Pau Torres.
However, Samu Chukwueze equalized for Villarreal in the 39th minute, beating Nacho and Thibaut Courtois with a low shot.
Vinicius Jr restored Real’s lead two minutes into the second half with his ninth league goal.
Villarreal leveled the score again in the 71st minute through Jose Luis Morales after VAR overturned an initial offside decision.
Chukwueze scored the winning goal for Villarreal 10 minutes from full-time with a spectacular strike from the edge of the box.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted that it took much work for his team to be 100% motivated after their victory over Barcelona.
However, despite the defeat, Vinicius Junior continued his good form, scoring a goal and almost adding two more.
Real Madrid turns their focus to the Wednesday Champions League quarter-final tie against Chelsea.
Villarreal’s victory, which saw them climb to fifth place in the league, was only their second-ever win at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The team will next face relegation-threatened Valladolid on Saturday.
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