Real Madrid took down Real Valladolid 1-0 at the Jose Zorrilla on Saturday night to put the pressure on league leaders Atletico Madrid, who lost earlier that day 2-0 to Levante. But Los Blancos weren’t convincing themselves against Valladolid, as they needed several top saves from Thibaut Courtois to bail them out.
Still, Real, depleted due to injuries, picked up all three points in tough circumstances on the road against a team that played them tough earlier this year, too.
Here are five burning questions from the win.
Is the title race back on?
Alternatively, was it ever over?
Real Madrid fans are notoriously realistic about where their team stands, but their eternal quest for excellence can sometimes bleed into pessimism. There are a lot of giants in Europe, such as Juventus and PSG, who aren’t at their best this season and behind in a title race. So Los Blancos aren’t alone.
A deficit of six points – now three – is not insurmountable, and, thus, the previous lead Los Rojiblancos had on Real was not impossible to top either. Beyond that, Los Merengues defeated Atleti handily in their last head-to-head meeting.
Next month’s Derbi will be crucial to Real Madrid, and you had better believe that this title race will be a thriller. Despite not being full strength by any means, Los Blancos have shown grit.