Real Madrid vs Almeria Player Rating as Carvajal scores 99th-minute winner in dramatic clash

Dani Carvajal’s 99th-minute goal gave Real Madrid a dramatic 3-2 win over Almeria on Sunday afternoon.

Madrid were expected to see off Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu – the visitors had not won a league game all season – but were surprisingly 2-0 down at half-time thanks to goals from Largie Ramazani and Edgar Gonzalez.

Jude Bellingham’s penalty reduced the arrears early in the second half before Vinicius Junior equalized in controversial circumstances in the 67th minute.

Los Blancos then left it until the ninth minute of added time to get their winner, with Carvajal tapping in at the back post to give his side a vital victory.

Amazingly, within 40 seconds of kick-off, bottom side Almeria took the lead. The visitors took advantage of some sloppy play from Madrid’s back line to gain possession and switch to a quick attack, with Lucas Robertone beating Ramazani clean through on goal. The 22-year-old made no mistake with his finish, firing past Kepa Arrizabalaga and into the net.

Los Blancos did not pose a threat at the other end of the park after going behind, unable to muster a single shot on target despite Bellingham, Vinicius and Rodrygo Goes leading the way.

Madrid’s inability to break down a stubborn Almeria backfired on them in the 42nd minute when Edgar Gonzalez made it 2-0 with a stunning goal. The centre-back surprisingly found himself on the edge of the box and latched on to the bouncing ball, then surprisingly managed to fire it first time into the top corner of the net.

Real Madrid finally started to show some signs of life after the break after what was probably a curt half-time talk from Carlo Ancelotti’s side and three substitutions.

One substitute, Joselu, would trump Madrid ten minutes after the restart, winning a penalty to give Jude Bellingham a chance to make it 2-1 – a chance he duly took to slot into the middle of the net.

The goal looked set to spark a comeback for the home side, but Almeria would actually score the game’s next goal. A quick counter-attack culminated in Ramazani heading for Sergio Arribas, who tapped it past Kepa and into the net.

However, a VAR review would cut short the joyous celebrations of the away fans as Lopy was adjudged to have fouled Bellingham on a goal-bound drive.

Another VAR check a few minutes later would cause even more controversy. At the other end of the park, Vinicius appeared to elbow the ball into the net after being met by Aurelien Tchouameni’s looping cross. Despite evidence suggesting it was indeed a handball, referee Francisco Maeso decided to award the goal after viewing the footage on the pitch monitor.

Real Madrid came close to winning in the final ten minutes, first with Vinicius forcing Luis Maximian into a stunning spot-kick and then Bellingham’s audacious header that curled just wide of the post.

In the 99th minute of the game, they finally got their winner.

Bellingham’s clever header across goal found Carvajal at the back post, who made no mistake from a yard out to make it 3-2 and seal a huge win for Madrid.

Real Madrid player ratings

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 5/10 – Couldn’t do much about either goal.

RB: Dani Carvajal – 7/10 – Scored the winning goal in the 99th minute of the game. You can’t ask for much more than that.

CB: Antonio Rudiger – 5/10 – Struggled defensively, and was a bit all over the place positionally in the first half.

CB: Nacho Fernandez – 2/10 – A rather horrid first-half performance from Nacho. The captain was at fault for both goals his side conceded.

LB: Ferland Mendy – 4/10 – Not at the races at all on Sunday. Rightfully subbed off at half-time.

CM: Federico Valverde – 5/10 – A so-so performance from Valverde, who put in some hard yards in the middle of the park.

CM: Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10 – Set up the equaliser with a fantastic looping cross from the right flank.

CM: Toni Kroos – 6/10 – A typical Kroos performance, clocking up 93% pass accuracy without breaking a sweat.

AM: Jude Bellingham – 8/10 – Cut a frustrated figure in the first half but came alive in the second. The England star bagged his first goal in over a month from the spot.

ST: Rodrygo Goes – 3/10 – He wasn’t effective at all.

ST: Vinicius Junior – 7/10 – Scored a goal that really shouldn’t have counted..yet somehow did.

SUB: Joselu (45′ for Rodrygo) – 7/10 – Changed the game when he came on. Provided some real muscle up top for Madrid.

SUB: Brahim Diaz (45′ for Nacho) – 7/10 – Caused problems with his clever movement in and around the penalty area.

SUB: Fran Garcia (45′ for Mendy) – 6/10 – Provided much more than Mendy did on the left flank.

SUB: Dani Ceballos (70′ for Valverde) – 5/10

SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (82′ for Kroos) – 5/10