From penalty miss to last-gasp hero: Jude Bellingham leads Real Madrid to victory over Valencia

The Valencia vs. Real Madrid game at Mestalla started with a huge surprise. Valencia took the lead in the first few minutes of the match courtesy of a goal from Hugo Duro, which sent fans into glee. There was tension in the air from the first whistle.

Valencia, encouraged by their supporters, pressed hard and sought fast attacking transitions while Real Madrid, with their typical aggressive style, tried to force their game. The moment that caused the stadium to explode came in the 27th minute. Hugo Duro's accurate strike into the Real Madrid net followed a well-executed Valencia play. The goal gave Valencia the lead on the scoreboard and sparked wild celebrations in the fans.

Following the score, Real Madrid wanted to respond and take back the game. They made a valiant effort to end it on a tie, the penalty spot presented a game-changing opportunity as well. Jude Bellingham missed a great chance to give Los Blancos an equalizer from 12 yards out. The England star Jude Bellingham stepped up, stumbled, and missed the back of the net but struck the inside of the post. 

A few minutes later, Kylian Mbappe's goal from a Bellingham assist would be disallowed. A beautiful finish was ruined when he went offside by the narrowest of margins. Despite having fewer than 30 minutes on the clock, Los Blancos still has a lot of work to do. Since Los Che grabbed the lead, Real Madrid had difficulty getting past Valencia's defense, and Vinicius Junior hasn't helped his team's cause, leaving them with ten men for the final moments.

🏁 @valenciacf 1-2 @RealMadrid
⚽ 27' Hugo Duro
⚽ 85' @lukamodric10
⚽ 90'+5' @BellinghamJude#ValenciaRealMadrid | @Emiratespic.twitter.com/MPh7nFCPEd

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) January 3, 2025

Jude Bellingham comes for resuce 

As Carlo Ancelotti's team continued in their efforts to equalize, Vinicius found himself in the box with fifteen minutes remaining. Brahim Diaz, won the ball back high up and then fed Bellingham to start the goal. This time, Luka Modric scored the equalizer with five minutes left in the game after converting his pass without any warnings. Jude Bellingham seemed to take advantage of a defensive blunder by Valencia and put Real Madrid up 2-1 at the Mestalla stadium. It was an almost miraculous victory. Bellingham sure does have a reputation of stepping up when his team needs him most, and in their opening 2025 game, he did just that.

Jude Bellingham made a name for himself as one of the most promising young players in international football since joining Real Madrid. The English midfielder has demonstrated his remarkable technical skill, physicality, and goal-scoring ability while blending in well with the team's dynamic. Expectations for Bellingham are still high as we go toward 2025.