Alexander Sørloth scored four times as Villarreal staged a comeback to seal a 4-4 draw against champions Real Madrid in the penultimate matchday of the 2023/24 La Liga season.
With Real Madrid comfortably 14 points clear at the top of the table, Carlo Ancelloti made significant changes to the squad that thrashed Deportivo Alavés 5-0 on Tuesday.
Villarreal, who needed a victory to keep their slim European chances alive suffered a setback in the 14th minute when Arda Güler—assisted by Brahim Díaz— gave Madrid the lead.
About 15 minutes later, Joselu leveraged Lucas Vázquez’s perfect cross to double the away side’s lead. However, Villarreal capitalised on a defensive blunder to pull one back in the 39th minute through Sørlot.
Vázquez and Güler both scored for Madrid after the 40th minute, as the Ancelloti-tutored entered the break with a 4-1 lead.
What was supposed to be a routine second half turned scary, as Sørloth outwitted Madrid’s makeshift backline to score thrice in 15 minutes to snatch a point off the La Liga champions.
Although the chances of Villarreal earning a European spot finish are slim—if non-existent—Sørloth has overtaken Jude Bellingham as the highest goalscorer of the league ahead of the final fixture.
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56'—⚽Four goals against Real Madrid and Alexander Sørloth leads the La Liga Pichichi race (23) 💥 pic.twitter.com/fxsQJqhPLL
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 19, 2024
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