Madrid title hopes suffer hammer blow

Real Madrid suffered a 3-2 defeat by Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday in a thrilling clash ahead of its Champions League showdown against Chelsea this week.

Real Sociedad beat Getafe 2-0 to tighten its grip on fourth place, while Villarreal rose to fifth after its impressive triumph at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The champion remains 12 points behind leader Barcelona, who faces Girona on Monday, with Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze scoring twice in a sensational individual display.

A Pau Torres own-goal sent Madrid in front but Chukwueze leveled before the break.

Vinicius Jr. netted a superb solo goal before Jose Luis Morales equalized again and Chukwueze curled home a superb winner, which reduced Madrid's hopes of retaining the title to virtually nothing.

"The truth is, it was hard for us to be 100 percent motivated, that's quite normal," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told Movistar.

"If you aren't 100 percent, you have to be better on the pitch, we weren't organized, they manage the ball well and it was hard for us to get it back."

However, the coach said the defeat did not allow any doubts to creep in ahead of Chelsea's visit in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.

"We knew it could be complicated, and Wednesday is another story. Our level dipped a bit today, but on Wednesday it will be at the maximum," added Ancelotti.

The coach made six changes from the 4-0 Clasico thrashing of Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinal midweek, with Europe in mind.

However, he maintained his attacking trio of Karim Benzema, Rodrygo and Vinicius, looking to put the game to bed early.

Marco Asensio and Vinicius combined for Madrid's opener, with Torres deflecting the latter's cross into his own net.

The visitor leveled late in the first half when Chukwueze's magical footwork left defender Nacho Fernandez for dead, and the Nigerian finished clinically past Thibaut Courtois.

Madrid came out flying in the second half and Vinicius scored a brilliant goal of his own, nutmegging defender Aissa Mandi to leave a crowd of pursuers behind him, before slipping the ball home.

The Brazilian winger, on 21 goals across all competitions, should have matched his tally of 22 last season but fired into the side netting after being teed up by Benzema.

The French forward, who scored hat-tricks in both his previous two games, was withdrawn before the hour mark to rest him for the Chelsea clash.

Villarreal pulled level in the 70th minute when Morales netted from a Chukwueze cross.

With 10 minutes remaining, Chukwueze scored a brilliant second, curling into the top corner from outside the area.

It was his fifth goal in his last seven La Liga matches.

Madrid was awarded a late penalty when the ball appeared to strike Mandi's arm as he slid along the floor, but VAR showed no offense was committed.

"The league is complicated, that's obvious, but we're alive in two other competitions that we will try to win," said Madrid defender Lucas Vazquez.

Villarreal coach Quique Setien lavished praise on Chukwueze.

"For a few weeks he's been giving us a lot, he's a permanent threat," said the former Barcelona boss.

"Not just in goals, but in passes, chances, he's an extraordinary player who is giving us a lot."

AFP