Real Madrid beat Valencia 2-0 at Mestalla with second half goals from Alvaro Carreras and Kylian Mbappe, staying 1 point behind Barcelona as Benfica prepare for their Champions League play off tie.
Real Madrid left Mestalla with a 2-0 victory over Valencia in matchday 23 of the Spanish league, a result that keeps them firmly in the title race and within 1 point of leaders Barcelona.
It was a controlled, professional away performance in a stadium that often tests visiting teams, and it reinforced the feeling that Real Madrid are managing the pressure of the run in with the kind of maturity that usually separates contenders from pretenders.
The match took time to open up, with Valencia initially trying to make the contest uncomfortable through intensity and direct attacking phases whenever they recovered possession. Real Madrid, however, looked like the side with the clearer plan. They circulated the ball patiently, avoided unnecessary risks in build up, and gradually pushed Valencia deeper, forcing the home side to defend for longer stretches. Even when the game was still goalless, the balance of play suggested Real Madrid were waiting for the right moment rather than chasing it recklessly.
The breakthrough came after the interval. Real Madrid finally turned territorial control into a decisive advantage in the 65th minute, when Alvaro Carreras, a former Benfica player, opened the scoring. The goal changed the rhythm immediately. Valencia had to take more risks, step higher, and expose space, while Real Madrid gained the freedom to manage the game with more comfort, choosing when to speed it up and when to slow it down.
With Valencia forced to stretch, Real Madrid started to find more openings on transitions and in the half spaces. The visitors did not turn the match into a shootout, but they did make it clear that Valencia were one mistake away from being punished again. That second goal arrived in stoppage time, with Kylian Mbappe finishing for 2-0 in the 90+1 minute. Beyond securing the points, that late strike also mattered psychologically: it underlined Real Madrid ability to keep their concentration to the end, and it removed any doubt about a late Valencia surge.
In the context of the league table, the result is significant. Barcelona remain top with 58 points, while Real Madrid have 57. In other words, one slip from the leaders can flip the standings immediately. At this stage of the season, that kind of pressure changes how every match is played. For Barcelona, it means there is no margin for an off day. For Real Madrid, it means every win increases the weight of the chase and keeps the title race boiling.
For Valencia, the defeat keeps them under serious stress. They sit 17th with 23 points, right on the edge of the relegation fight, and every home match becomes a must deliver moment. Against Real Madrid, they competed, but the difference in quality and decisiveness showed when the match moved into its critical phase after halftime. Valencia did not collapse, yet they also did not create enough clear chances to justify hopes of an upset, and once they conceded, the task became far harder.
There was also Portuguese interest in the match. Thierry Correia came on in the second half for Valencia, while Andre Almeida watched the entire game from the bench. With Valencia needing points, rotation decisions and late game substitutions will continue to be scrutinised, especially in matches where the team is chasing a result and has to balance defensive stability with the need to attack.
The win also has a direct connection to Benfica, because Real Madrid are Benfica next opponents in the Champions League play off for a place in the round of 16. From Benfica perspective, this result in Valencia is a reminder of what makes Real Madrid so difficult in knockout football: they can play without panic, accept moments of discomfort, and still deliver decisive actions at the key times. Scoring twice in the second half, including a late killer goal, is exactly the kind of match management Benfica will want to disrupt.
Benfica will host the first leg at Estadio da Luz on 17 February at 20:00, before travelling to Madrid for the second leg on 25 February, also at 20:00. Benfica reached the play off by finishing 24th in the league phase, the last position that still secured a place in this round. That sets up a tie where Benfica have the advantage of playing the first match at home, but also the challenge of carrying a result into an intimidating away second leg.
Strategically, the first leg in Lisbon becomes crucial. Benfica will likely need a performance that combines courage with discipline: enough attacking threat to make Real Madrid defend honestly, but not so much risk that they hand Real Madrid the kind of away goal momentum that can define a two leg tie. Real Madrid, meanwhile, will be comfortable with a controlled approach, trying to keep the game tight and let their quality decide moments, exactly as they did in Valencia.
If Benfica manage the upset and eliminate the record holders of 15 European Cup titles in the play off, the reward is immediately brutal: in the round of 16 they would face either Sporting or Manchester City, depending on the draw scheduled for 27 February. In other words, there are no easy doors at this stage, and the entire path is designed for teams that can handle elite level intensity across multiple rounds.
For Real Madrid, the Valencia win is not just three points. It is another example of a team that knows how to win in different ways: sometimes through dominance, sometimes through patience, and often through a ruthless second half push when opponents fatigue and spaces open. With Barcelona just 1 point ahead, every league fixture now doubles as a statement. And with Benfica coming next in Europe, this was also the ideal kind of preparation: a hard away night, no panic, and the result delivered when it mattered.
Updated: 11:24, 9 Feb 2026
