Former player causes Real Madrid heartbreak against Villarreal.

Real Madrid suffered a 0-1 defeat when they visited Villarreal's stadium in round 15 of La Liga.

Benzema and Ronaldo were unable to prevent Real Madrid from suffering their third defeat of the season. Photo: Reuters

Goal: Roberto Soldado 9'

Arriving at El Madrigal hoping to win and close the gap with Barca to just two points, Rafa Benitez's team not only failed to achieve their goal but also suffered a humiliating defeat. Roberto Soldado, a product of Real Madrid's youth academy, scored the only goal to secure three points for Villarreal.

This was Ronaldo and his teammates' third defeat of the 2015-2016 season, following losses to Sevilla and Barcelona. This setback leaves Real Madrid in third place, five points behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Based on their performance in the first half, Villarreal secured a victory against Real Madrid that was by no means a fluke. The "Yellow Submarine" even had a chance to score in the third minute when Jonathan Dos Santos' long-range shot hit the post. In their dominant performance, Villarreal only had to wait nine minutes for the opening goal, scored by Soldado with his trademark left-footed shot. The biggest culprit for Real Madrid in this situation was Luka Modric, who carelessly lost possession in midfield. If Bakambu and Soriano had been more clinical in their finishing, the score could have been 3-0 in favor of Villarreal in the first half.

For those who appreciate statistics, the match presented a surprising contrast. Real Madrid unleashed 20 shots in over 90 minutes, but only one was on target. In contrast, Villarreal had seven shots, three of which were on target and resulted in one goal. The home team also appeared weaker, possessing the ball for only 35% of the time compared to their opponents.

Soldado made Real pay the price after Modric's mistake in losing possession.

In this match, Real Madrid had their BBC trio (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo) but only one played to their full potential. Despite Bale constantly creating excellent scoring opportunities, the other two stars repeatedly missed chances. Benzema even became a mediocre player, repeatedly shooting over the crossbar or wide of the goal. In the first half alone, the number nine striker missed three clear chances to equalize with poorly executed shots. The same thing happened after the break with a volley and a header that narrowly missed the post.

Compared to Benzema, Ronaldo was no better, sending a volley into the stands midway through the second half. CR7 didn't have many chances in this match, while his connection with Bale proved ineffective. Things could have been different if Bale had passed the ball in the 73rd minute instead of shooting himself, or if the number of chances Benzema missed had been halved for Ronaldo.

After dominating the first half, Villarreal focused almost entirely on defense in the second half. This effort, coupled with a bit of bad luck for Real, secured all three points for the home team. Even with the addition of three players in the second half – Isco, Jese, and Kovacic – Real were unable to turn the tide.

Villarreal deserves the role of a dark horse in La Liga.

With their eighth win of the season, Villarreal have climbed to fifth place with 27 points, just three points behind Real Madrid. This is an ideal gap for coach Marcelino's team to start thinking about a Champions League spot next season.

According to VNE