After playing a fantastic first half and building a two-goal lead, Real Madrid again lost focus and crumbled. Villarreal tallied twice in the final 20 minutes to see both teams grab points in the final matchday of the 2017/2018 campaign.
It was a fitting end to what was ultimately a horrible season for Los Blancos. The club failed to defend their league title due to their inability to hold leads and play quality football for 90 minutes.
Villarreal, despite finishing fifth in the table, did not deserve a point in this match after the way Real played. Gareth Bale opened the accord in the 11th minute, marking his 16th league goal, with Cristiano Ronaldo heading home his 26th just after the half-hour mark.
After halftime, the team again seemed to lose focus and relinquished the lead. There was little movement going forward and the team looked to be waiting for the final whistle. At times, this team has been overly confident in their abilities.
Last season, this team really believed in the club saying ‘Hasta el final” (until the end). This season, there were so many times a lead was blown, a late goal allowed, or a lack in continuity led to a late mistake.
While last season will go down in the history books as one of the most successful in Real Madrid history, this year, much like 2015/2016, will be quickly forgotten.
One of the possible reasons for such a down year after winning the league and Champions League is the lack of scorers in the starting XI. There was so much depth at manager Zinedine Zidane’s disposal with Alvaro Morata, Marco Asensio, and others coming off the bench.
That same fire up front and lack of depth has cost the team several wins.
I wouldn’t say this result is a bad thing heading into the UCL Final next weekend, but it isn’t good. To me, it has felt like the players don’t care as much about La Liga as they do the Champions League.
Real has defeated three league winners across Europe on their way to the final against a very talented Liverpool side. But, against mid-table and slacking sides like Levante, Real Betis, or Atheltic Bilbao, there was no one who had that desire and ability to score a late clutch goal.
Next: Villarreal vs. Real Madrid: Immediate reaction from La Liga season closer
This is obviously a campaign to forget about. A third-place finish in La Liga, behind rivals FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, is embarrassing to a club who expects to win every title and every match.
As much as it pains me to say, this is a fitting final match to close out a very disappointing title defense.