La Liga 2024-25: Vinicius misses penalty as Real Madrid loses steam in title race with loss against Valencia

Vinicius Jr missed his second penalty in less than a month as La Liga champion Real Madrid was shocked at home by Valencia 2-1 on Saturday, leaving the door open for rival Barcelona to extend its lead on top of the standings.

With a game in hand, Hansi Flick’s Barca is top on 66th points, three ahead Real in second and nine clear of third-placed Atletico. If Barca wins against Betis later on Saturday, it will extend its lead to six points with eight games to go.

AS IT HAPPENED | Real Madrid vs Valencia Highlights

Real Madrid dominated possession throughout the game but wasted too many chances, with Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili putting in a brilliant performance between the posts, including blocking Vinicius’ first-half penalty.

Defender Mouctar Diakhaby opened the scoring for Valencia with a header from an Andre Almeida corner in the 15th minute.

Vinicius stroked in the equaliser from a corner in the 50th minute and pushed for the winner in the second half. However, Valencia held on and took advantage of a quick counter five minutes deep into added time as Hugo Duro’s header secured the win.