Real Madrid 3-2 Almeria: Jude Bellingham tees up Dani Carvajal for late, late winner in stunning comeback

Real Madrid rescued a 3-2 win over La Liga basement dwellers Almeria thanks to a Jude Bellingham penalty and a 99th minute Dani Carvajal winner in a game was overshadowed by huge VAR controversy.

Almeria are still looking for their first win of the La Liga season but looked set to break that drought when they went 2-0 up in a shocking first-half where the visitors looked the more clinical side against a ponderous Real Madrid.

However, three marginal VAR decisions went the way of Los Blancos in the space of twelve minutes to turn the game on its head and Almeria boss Gaizka Gaitano was red carded late after remonstrating with the referee about his side’s misfortune.

Almeria gave Real Madrid a massive helping hand last week holding La Liga contenders Girona to a goalless draw but looked set to return the favour thanks to Largie Ramazani’s opener just 38 seconds in a wonder goal by Edgar Gonzalez before halftime.

However, Carvajal’s header means Los Blancos return to the top of the table with Girona facing Sevilla tonight and looking to overcome the two-point deficit, though Real Madrid will still hold a game in hand after this weekend.

They’re approaching a busy period at the start of February as Real Madrid welcome Girona and Atletico Madrid - who knocked them out of the Copa del Rey this week - to the Bernabeu in La Liga before returning to Champions League action so Ancelotti will be pleased with the win despite having to work so hard for it.

But Gaitano will feel gutted after his side threw everything into a smart game plan against the side that humbled Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final just a week before, but come away with nothing and remain winless, 10 points away from Sevilla and safety.

They weren’t just plucky underdogs, Almeria exposed Real Madrid whenever they broke forward with errors by Nacho and Bellingham the cause of all three goals - the last disallowed moment’s after the Brit scored his penalty.

The front three of Ramazani, Marezi and Arribas had Los Blancos on their heels with lightning-fast interplay and visiting captain Lucas Robertone played through injury for much of the game and it was his pinpoint pass that set up the opener that stunned the Bernabeu into silence.

But the pick of the bunch was centre-back Edgar’s exquisite volley from outside the box that flew straight into the top corner and gave Kepa Arrizabalaga - reinstated between the sticks for Real Madrid - no chance.

While the hosts came out fighting in the second half with Ancelotti ringing the changes, they continued to threaten and deserved to take something from the game.

A marginal penalty, a disallowed goal for a soft foul, and Real Madrid equaliser scored by Vinicius’ arm - all in less than a quarter of an hour.

It will certainly fuel the conspiracy theorists’ fires, though the first decision did clearly strike Kaiky’s hand while under pressure from Joselu from a cross.

Equally, Dion Loby’s hand did make glancing contact with Bellingham’s face for Almeria’s disallowed third, though the midfielder certainly made a meal of it and the ‘foul’ happened right in front of the referee who did nothing in real time, before VAR intervened.

But while two 50-50 decisions going one way isn’t the craziest thing in football, Vinicius’ equaliser off his arm looked worse and worse the more replays were shown. Once again, the referee’s decision went against Real Madrid at the time only to be overturned on review, with the officials eventually deciding it deflected off the forward’s shoulder and past Luis Maximiano.

And to add insult to injury, the 11 minutes of stoppage time prolonged by those decision allowed Carvajal to hit the winner - a litany of misfortune for the visiting minnows.

While Gaitano would probably pick referee Francisco Jose Hernandez Maeso for this one, you could’ve just tracked Jude Bellingham all game and it would’ve given a pretty accurate summary of the game.

Bellingham looked frustrated, verging on stroppy for much of the first half as Almeria’s compact and robust defending left him unable to dictate the game as Vinicius was the early main threat for Los Blancos.

However, he was pivotal in the turnaround in the second half, running the Real Madrid attack and stepping up to convert the coolest of penalties and get his side on the scoresheet.

It was the (admittedly soft) foul on the Englishman that ruled out Almeria’s third too after he’d been pickpocketed but when the occasion was biggest, so was Bellingham’s response with his cushioned header the perfect assist for Carvajal’s winner.

Real Madrid: Kepa 6, Carvajal 7, Rudiger 4, Nacho 3, Mendy 5, Valverde 6, Tchouameni 6, Kroos 6, Bellingham 8, Rodrygo 4, Vinicius Jr 7. Subs: Camavinga 5, Joselu 7, Ceballos 6, Garcia 7, Diaz 7

Almeria: Maximiano 7, Pubill 6, Kaiky 6, Chumi 6, Akieme 8, Gonzalez 8, Arribas 7, Robertone 7, Lopy 7, Ramazani 8, Milanovic 7. Subs: Suarez 6, Embarba 6, Melero 6, Lazaro 5, Pozo 6.

1’ - GOAL! REAL MADRID 0-1 ALMERIA (RAMAZANI): Well that's unexpected - the visitors take the lead! They don't look like a side who's yet to taste victory in La Liga, pouncing on a poor pass from Nacho to Ferland Mendy and then switching the play from right to left with Lucas Robertone in the middle of it. That meant Largie Ramazani, one of three changes for this game, got a one-on-one with Kepa and his shot drifted in despite striking Kepa's leg, just 38 seconds into the game!

43’ - GOAL! REAL MADRID 0-2 ALMERIA (GONZALEZ): Nacho's set up his second goal of the game... For Almeria! Nacho's weak clearance of an aerial ball only goes as far as Edgar Gonzalez, who's playing as a centre-back today but was up for this attack. He's outside the box and hits it on the volley rocket which flies straight into the top corner with Kepa powerless to stop it! Find that replay and watch it asap because it's quite simply a goal that words can't do justice to, but what is up with Real Madrid?! This could be the upset of the season…

54’ - PENALTY? A dangerous cross struck Kaiky's arm and bounced out so VAR are taking a look. The contact is clear-cut with his arm away from his body but it may be ruled a foul by Joselu on the defender… AND HE GIVES IT! Almeria are furious as Rudiger was also putting pressue on his man, but they fall on deaf ears and Real Madrid have the chance to pull one back!

57’ - GOAL! REAL MADRID 1-2 ALMERIA (BELLINGHAM): Who else? Bellingham cooly slides it down the middle and the deficit is halved!

61’ - GOAL! REAL MADRID 1-3 ALMERIA (ARRIBAS): No VAR needed there! Just as Real Madrid got back into it, Almeria restore the two-goal lead! It's a beautiful goal, Loby pickpocketed Bellingham after a good battle all game before freeing Ramazani down the wing. He burst forward and unleashed a pinpoint through ball with the outside of his foot and ex-Real Madrid player Sergio Arribas slides the first-time finish past Kepa.

64’ - GOAL DISALLOWED: Scrap that VAR line, that is juist cruel. Loby put his hand out to balance himself and caught Bellingham in the face who hit the deck right in front of the referee, but the contact never looked enough to warrant a foul. The officials disagree though, and Real Madrid are handed another lifeline thanks to VAR.

69’ - GOAL? EQUALISER? This time it's Real Madrid's turn to surround the referee, Vinicius had the ball in the net but Chumi went down under a challenge from the Brazilian and we have yet more VAR. It looks like it came off Vinicius' arm on the replays, but VAR are calling the referee over to the monitor of fate...

70’ - GOAL! REAL MADRID 2-2 ALMERIA (VINICIUS): Gaizka Garitano can't believe it and he has every right to be. He's had three VAR decisions go against his side in the space of 12 minutes and his side have seen their two goal deficit wiped out. Almeria deserve to be winning this and all three decisions have been marginal, but the goal stands and Los Blancos could go on to win this.

77’ - BELLINGHAM GOAL DISALLOWED! Jude Bellingham has the ball in the net again with a wonderstrike from the edge of the box! Fran Garcia has really changed the game for Real Madrid and scorched forward to reach a long ball, pulling it back to Bellingham to pull the trigger. However, the flag is up for Garcia so it stays at 2-2.

90+7’ - RED CARD! Gaizka Gaitano has been sent to the stands! The home players surrounded Lopy on the floor accusing him of timewasting and when Gaitano fired back he was given a second yellow card. His post-game press conference will be tasty…

90+11’ - GOAL! REAL MADRID 3-2 ALMERIA (CARVAJAL): It's the winner! It was a brilliant cross Dani Carvajal and Bellingham put it back across the face of goal, for Diaz to prod home from point-blank range! Cue pandemonium in the Bernabeu!!!

Almeria's opener in the reverse fixture against Los Blancos was scored after just 140 seconds, while this time Ramazani's goal hit the net after 38.

Real Madrid haven't lost in La Liga since September 2023.

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