MADRID, Sept 20 — Real Madrid leave it late again, champions Atleti are struggling in front of goal, plus will Villarreal ever stop drawing?
Here are the talking points from weekend La Liga action.
Real Madrid’s late shows
The league season is only a few games old, yet Real are showing they are made of stern stuff.
They were struggling against Valencia, largely second best as they found themselves deservedly 1-0 down.
From nowhere, however, they netted twice in the closing stages to secure a 2-1 win and move top of La Liga on 13 points.
Those strikes from Vinicius and Benzema mean Carlo Ancelotti’s side have now scored six goals after the 85th minute in games this season, proving the old adage that you can never write off Real Madrid is still alive and well.
Atletico’s goal struggles
After netting a 99th minute winner last weekend to snatch three points, many thought it would be the shot in the arm that Atleti’s title defence needed.
However, since then they have not looked like scoring in 180 minutes of play between the Champions League and La Liga.
After mustering just two shots on target against Porto on Wednesday, they could only manage the same again against Athletic Bilbao and have already drawn twice at home as they continue to stutter.
Villarreal, unbeaten but without a win
A curious case is that of Villarreal’s. They are one of six unbeaten teams — although without having won a game.
Moreover, they have only scored twice, both in a 2-2 draw with Atletico, as yesterday brought about a third 0-0 of the season away at Mallorca.
With the added distraction of a Champions League campaign, Unai Emery’s side need to get their campaign up and running if they harbour hopes of being in that competition again next term. — Reuters
