Real Madrid, in a strong and commanding display, closed in on the top of the La Liga table with a 3-0 victory over Valencia. This match was held in memory of Juan de Miguel, the Tenerife team striker who tragically lost his life in an incident recently.
Tribute to Juan de Miguel
Juan de Miguel lost his life on Tuesday after colliding with the goalkeeper of Andorra in a second division match. In memory of this player, matches were paused in the ninth minute to hold a minute of applause and remembrance for him. Additionally, a minute of silence was observed before the start of the match in his honor. In Tenerife, fans and players gathered at the stadium to pay tribute to him.
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Enrique Gallego, the captain of the Tenerife team, in an emotional speech said: "You knew what it meant to work for a common goal and understood football beyond yourself. Just a few days ago, we shared all this with you -- now we have to talk about you in the past tense. This is incredibly unfair." About 400 people attended de Miguel's funeral, including Luis de la Fuente, the head coach of the Spanish national team, and Florentino Pérez, the president of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid's performance against Valencia
At the Mestalla Stadium, José Mourinho's team performed well, recording their eighth consecutive win in all competitions, even without Vinícius Júnior, who was absent due to suspension. Federico Valverde scored Madrid's first goal in the 23rd minute with a shot from outside the penalty area. The second goal was also scored by Arda Güler in the first half when a pass from Jude Bellingham deflected towards him.
In the second half, Kylian Mbappé scored Real Madrid's third goal, passing the ball past goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski with an assist from Güler. This goal marked Mbappé's thirteenth goal in the league and his seventeenth goal in 16 matches across all competitions. Valencia's captain, José Gayà, was sent off in the 80th minute for a serious foul on Mbappé. Javier Aguirre's team currently sits in nineteenth place in the table, just one point away from safety.
Mourinho commented on his team: "From my experience, this team has a good vibe. We never got flustered, we were calm, and we know why we lost that game." Madrid's last defeat was on September 20 against Atlético Madrid. The defending champions Barcelona will face Atlético, the third-placed team, on Sunday.
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