Real Madrid Overcome Fatigue

VILLARREAL, SUNDAY — Real Madrid successfully dethroned Barcelona from the top of the standings thanks to a narrow 2-1 victory over the host Villarreal at De La Ceramica Stadium, Sunday (16/3/2025) early morning WIB. The victory was achieved through a grueling effort against fatigue. Real Madrid players had only 66 hours of rest from their previous match, whereas the recommended minimum rest time is 72 hours.

To manage the tight schedule, Real's coach, Carlo Ancelotti, rotated several players. Antonio Ruediger, who was the decisive figure in Real's victory during the penalty shootout against Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, was rested. Similarly, Vinicius Junior only entered the match as a substitute in the 61st minute. The grueling and extended match against Atletico last midweek, which went into a penalty shootout, drained the stamina of Real's players.

As a result, Real began the match very sluggishly. Villarreal took advantage of this situation by increasing the tempo of their attacks. Villarreal unleashed six shots on target. Villarreal's goal was scored by Juan Foyth, who capitalized on the chaos in Real's penalty area during the momentum of Alex Baena's corner kick. Real's defensive organization in anticipating Baena's corner kick was extremely disorganized. Real's players were fixated solely on the direction of the ball's arrival without monitoring the movements of their opponents.

"Initially, it was indeed not good. However, that is understandable because we lacked rest and our legs felt slightly heavier than usual," said Real's goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, as quoted from the club's website.

Foyth's goal added to the burden on Real, which must secure a victory to claim the top spot in the standings from Barcelona. Additionally, Real is determined to achieve its first win at De La Ceramica. Since the 2016-2017 season, Real has not managed to secure a single victory at the home of the "Yellow Submarine." In last season's encounter at De La Ceramica, Real was held to a 4-4 draw. The De La Ceramica Stadium seems to possess a magical aura that thwarts Real.

However, it did not take long for Real to score the equalizing goal. Kylian Mbappe became the savior ten minutes after Foyth's goal. The French striker positioned himself cleverly to seize the loose ball from Brahim Diaz's shot, which was blocked by Villarreal's goalkeeper, Diego Conde.

In the 23rd minute, Mbappe doubled Real's lead after capitalizing on a low cross from Lucas Vazquez. Mbappe's two goals also placed him in competition with Barca's striker, Robert Lewandowski, in the race for "El Pichichi," or the league's top scorer. Lewandowski has so far accumulated 21 goals, while Mbappe has 20 goals. By the end of the match, the final score remained 2-1 in favor of Real.

Throughout the match, Real players were out of breath as they ran after and won the ball. The short break undoubtedly had a big impact on their fitness. Real players only had 66 hours of rest after beating Atletico in a long match lasting more than 120 minutes.

Real Madrid had asked the Spanish League authorities to change the match schedule, but it was not granted. Although the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) recommends a minimum break of 72 hours between matches. However, the Spanish League has its own provisions that regulate a minimum break between matches of 48 hours.

"You get a little used to the schedule, but your body needs a rest, and in these demanding games, you have to prepare yourself mentally for the effort. This break will be very good for us, but we have to keep working hard," he added.

Feeling that the tight schedule will be detrimental to his team, Ancelotti said he would be reluctant to compete if there is no concrete solution regarding this problem. Real is still playing in three major competitions this season, namely the English League, the European Champions League, and the Spanish King's Cup. That way, there is always the possibility for Real in the future to get a break between matches of less than 72 hours.

"This is the last time we will play with less than 72 hours' rest. We will never do it again. We have asked La Liga twice to change the schedule and nothing has happened. So this is the last time," Ancelotti said.

Thanks to the win over Villarreal, Real temporarily dominates the standings with a collection of 60 points. "Los Blancos" hope Barca, who dropped to second place, will be held by Atletico Madrid in another match.