3 things we learned from Valencia holding Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw

The La Liga title race is now all but over, thanks to Valencia shocking all of Spain by holding Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu. Valencia earned the draw on the strength of two first-half goals and some phenomenal goalkeeping, though they couldn’t hold their lead in the end, settling for even honors in a thrilling match.

Things started off badly for Real Madrid, with a quick attack and shot right off the first kick forcing a save out of Iker Casillas with the defense apparently not realizing that the match had started. Madrid started pushing hard for a goal after that, using their edges in pace and power to try to pin Valenica back.

Their opponents weren’t at all intimidated, with Nuno’s side lashing out aggressively on the counter and not holding back in their challenges. That frustrated many of Madrid’s players, inducing rash fouls and yellow cards, and one of those Valencia counters saw Toni Kroos break down with an apparent hamstring injury.

By the time Kroos came out, Valencia were already up 1-0 thanks to a 19th minute goal struck by young striker Paco Alcacer and misplayed by Casillas. Kroos’ replacement, Asier Illaramendi, hadn’t even been on the pitch for a full minute before Javi Fuego fired home a second goal for Valenica, putting the visitors up 2-0 and leaving Real Madrid wondering if their title chase was over.

Madrid pushed to find a goal before the halftime whistle, but thanks to three shots off the post and a couple excellent saves from Diego Alves for Valencia, it looked like the scoreline would stay the same at halftime -- then Gareth Bale was bundled down in the box, a penalty was awarded and Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take it. “Well, this score’s going to be 2-1,” you think -- but Alves had other ideas, saving a record 16th penalty try in La Liga action and leaving Ronaldo looking absolutely mystified as the halftime whistle blew with Valencia’s 2-0 lead intact.

That gave Valencia a couple chances on the counter, but they couldn’t connect to get their efforts on target. The better of the chances fell to Madrid, but they couldn’t quite find the breakthrough to get their equalizer. As the minutes ticked away, a restless Santiago Bernabeu crowd started showing their discontent at the performance of the home side, with whistles and jeers starting to rain down, especially after Sergio Ramos failed to score on an almost completely free try at a header off a free kick.

The jeers grew louder when Valencia -- filled with confidence by the close of the match coming closer -- started putting together more more adventurous attacks, suddenly leaving Madrid almost pinned back and not scoring not because of wonderful defensive efforts from Madrid, but simply because they still couldn’t get shots on frame. Valencia carved Madrid’s defense open time and again, but they couldn’t get that last touch right to get a third goal.

Madrid made another push in the last ten minutes that saw Alves make a couple more excellent saves, but Isco uncorked an absolutely unsaveable shot from outside the box to give Real an equalizer. Madrid went all out to get a third before the final whistle, but Valencia’s defense grew all the more determined. Several late set pieces went for naught, and even with five minutes of added time, Madrid couldn’t find a winner.

Goals: Pepe (56’), Isco (84’)

Goals: Alcacer (19’), Fuego (26’)

1. Diego Alves is pretty good. The 29-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper has been in remarkable form for Valencia this season, and has been at the heart of his team’s excellent defensive record, allowing the third-fewest goals in La Liga so far this season. Not only is he an elite shot-stopper -- as he showed against Ronaldo on that first-half-ending penalty try -- but he’s also an expert at organizing his defense, especially on set pieces. He’s a much better goalkeeper than he typically gets credit for thanks to playing for a smaller team, but eyes are finally starting to open about his quality.

2. Real Madrid can’t keep emotions in check. Yes, Valencia were playing chippy, aggressive football. Want to know why they did it? Because they know that if you punch Madrid in the face a couple of times, they get mad and start making mistakes. That’s exactly what happened today, and Madrid defenders getting angry and wild helped lead to both of Valencia’s first-half goals. They were further hampered by the yellow cards their players were getting because of the rash fouls they were handing out.

3. Valencia are quietly becoming an excellent team. Because of the financial disparity in Spain, Valencia might not be able to keep this group of players together for long. But if they secure Champions League qualification and can make a couple additions to this side, they could become a force to be reckoned with. They’ve got a well-balanced side with some excellent players, and have proved time and again that they can play with anyone. Their style is versatile and fun to watch, and they have a real chance at making a lot of noise next season in the Champions League.