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Vinicius Jr Jude Bellingham Real Madrid 2023-24Getty

Real Madrid player ratings vs Valencia: Vinicius Junior has the last laugh! Brazilian bags vital brace in front of hostile crowd as Jude Bellingham returns in chaotic draw

In nearly 100 minutes of chaotic football, Vinicius Junior's double proved to be crucial, as the Brazilian bagged a brace to snatch a 2-2 draw with a resilient Valencia side on Saturday. The two sides played out an absurd matchup, full of controversy, excellent goals and defensive errors.

Valencia struck first, Hugo Duro flicking a clever header into the far corner after a mistake from Vinicius gave the home side the ball in a dangerous area. They added a second two minutes later, with Roman Yaremchuk rounding Andriy Lunin following a woeful backpass from Dani Carvajal.

Vinicius pulled one back on the stroke of half time, turning it into an empty net after the Valencia defence failed to deal with a bobbling Carvajal cross. Bellingham nearly knotted the score after 53 minutes, but a smart stop denied him after an impressive run. Vinicius wasn't denied 20 minutes later, though, nodding into an open net after a fine piece of setup play from substitute Brahim Diaz.

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Valencia thought they had a clear chance to win it, when the referee awarded them a late penalty, only to see a VAR check amend the decision. In the craziest end to a topsy-turvy evening, Bellingham had the ball in the net late in stoppage time, but the final whistle blew mere seconds before he nodded the ball home. It was a fitting conclusion to a frankly bizarre La Liga contest.

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