With a seven-goal difference lead over Girona, Real Madrid have retaken the lead in the La Liga standings after Matchday 18! The Los Blancos are the hottest team in the top flight, staying undefeated in recent weeks and winning four of their last five top flight matches.
Real Madrid reclaimed the summit of La Liga after a late Vazquez header against Alaves at Mendizorroza. Ancelotti’s outfit dealt with a handicap in the dire parts of the match due to Nacho being penalised with a red card in minute 54.
Missing one defender, Madrid were quick to move the ball forward and proceeded to counter every chance they got. Their efforts were eventually rewarded, as Lucas Vazquez scored the only and winning goal of the match with a ferocious header in added time.
“This team has unfathomable energy. We dug in well, played some good stuff and defended well with ten men, and we got our reward at the end,” Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti told the media after the match.
“It was a tough game and when we went a man down, everyone thought this might be the day we slip up,”
But prior to this match, the Los Blancos had already been dismantling their adversaries left and right, not only in the Spanish top flight but across all competitions. Ancelotti’s team won Group C of the Champions League, advanced to the Round of 32 in the Cope del Rey, and reached the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup, where they’ll face Atletico Madrid.
At this point in the season, to say that Real Madrid are having a successful campaign is an understatement. And they are poised to reclaim the La Liga title after trailing Barcelona last season.
Jude Bellingham and Toni Kroos are Real Madrid’s calling card, their bread and butter, their coup de grâce. Bellingham continues to lead the Spanish top flight’s Golden Boot race with 13 goals to his name, with Getafe’s Borja Mayoral keeping it a competitive race with 12 goals of his own.
Kroos, on the other hand, leads the league in assists, claiming six in 18 games played. The German maestro has created a whopping 30 chances and leads the competition with a 94 per cent passing accuracy.
The Los Blancos are stomping all over every competition they take part in, which is not surprising given the form of Bellingham and Kroos, as well as the abundance of elite-level teammates and a Hall of Fame coach in Ancelotti.
Given their unrelenting form in the Spanish top flight, Ancelotti’s outfit is the heavy La Liga 2023 betting odds favourite to win the 2023-2024 at 1.20, with Girona as the runner-ups at 6.00.
Speaking of Girona, they might just pull off one of the greatest underdog stories in all of Spanish football, as they are right at the top of the league standings with Real Madrid with 45 points after Matchday 18.
The Gironistes have been headlining La Liga 2023 news stories since their meteoric rise in the early stages of the season, posting upset after upset against formidable Spanish outfits.
With their recent draw against Betis, Girona are now undefeated since their loss on October 1, where they suffered a 0-3 clean sheet defeat against Bellingham and the Los Blancos. But they were quick to bounce back, thanks to the brilliance of Artem Dovbyk and Sávio.
The 26-year-old Ukrainian forward has been playing out of his mind this season, scoring more goals than legendary footballers like Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata, and Robert Lewkandowski in the top flight.
Girona’s #9 has been one of, if not the main catalyst, for the club’s Cinderella run this season. Míchel’s utilization of Dovbyk at the main striker position has caused serious troubles for their rivals as they continue to scratch their heads while figuring out how to stop La Liga’s best offence thus far.
Their potent offence won’t be possible without the orchestration and the beautiful football mind of their Brazilian forward Sávio, who acts as the conductor to the beautiful symphony of Girona’s brand of football.
At the young age of 19, Sávio is shaping up to be one of the brightest young stars on the scene, already dishing out five assists and scoring four goals to boot.
Girona’s young core is playing a brand of football that highlights what an outfit can produce when you actually enjoy playing the beautiful game. Their hunger and enjoyment of the game are evident and radiate when watching them play. With that, this SBOTOP writer can safely say that this is what football is all about!
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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