Real Madrid lost to Valencia, opening the door for Barcelona in La Liga.

Real Madrid lost to Valencia 1-2 in their first rescheduled match of the 2016-2017 La Liga season.

"Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc incites parishioners."

Goals: Simone Zaza 4', Orellana 9' - Ronaldo 44'

Valencia needed only nine minutes to score two goals against Real. Subsequent efforts from the league leaders only resulted in a consolation goal, a header from Cristiano Ronaldo.

The match against Valencia was a rescheduled game for the round Real missed last year when they participated in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan. The defeat left Real stuck in the same position, just one point behind second-placed Barcelona, ​​and opened up the La Liga race with 15 rounds remaining.

Zidane's team still has another game in hand, but they face an equally challenging task when they travel to Celta Vigo. In this season's Copa del Rey, Celta Vigo eliminated Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.

Ronaldo's equalizer couldn't save Real from defeat. Photo: Reuters

The victory on the evening of February 22nd could be considered a reward for Valencia's almost perfect start in front of Real Madrid's goal. Before their opponents could even get into the game, the home team quickly scored two goals from two unexpected shots. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas didn't have a single chance to touch the ball or make a save in either situation.

With Simone Zaza, those who criticized his penalty kick in last year's Euro quarter-final may have to reconsider. It was Zaza himself who received a pass from the right wing before turning and unleashing a volley to open the scoring for Valencia. This was also Zaza's second goal since joining the Mestalla Stadium during the winter transfer window, following his goal against Bilbao last weekend.

Zaza (left) is regaining her confidence after a period of public ridicule.

Five minutes after the opening goal, Real suffered another shock. This time, the visiting team's defense made a mistake in midfield, leading to a lightning-fast counter-attack by Valencia. Immediately afterwards, Nani set up Orellana, who raced down and finished one-on-one, beating Navas.

Real only started to play better after conceding the first two goals. However, at this point, the psychological burden caused Zidane's team to lose much of their accuracy. For the remainder of the first half, most of Real's shots on Valencia's goal were either blocked by the opposing defense or went wide. The visitors only managed to capitalize on one opportunity when Marcelo crossed the ball for Ronaldo to head it in, reducing the deficit.

Real continued to put pressure on Valencia in the second half but were unable to score another goal. With the experienced central defensive pairing of Mangala and Garay, Valencia's defense held firm until the end of the match. Real's most dangerous chance came from Gareth Bale's header, which deflected off a Valencia defender's leg.

Bale came on late and couldn't do anything to help Real.

Meanwhile, the home team nearly extended their lead with a dribble from Daniel Parejo. Zaza also gave Real Madrid fans a scare when he broke into the penalty area and was pushed down by Dani Carvajal. The referee did not award a penalty after this incident, despite protests from the stands.

Following their victory against Real Madrid, Valencia now have 26 points from 23 matches. This achievement propelled them from 15th to 14th place in La Liga, easing the pressure of fighting relegation.

According to VNE