March 03, (THEWILL) — Defeat to Getafe left Real Madrid unable to close the gap on Barcelona in LaLiga, with Martin Satriano’s stunning first-half volley settling a feisty encounter that ended with both clubs reduced to 10 men.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s side, missing injured pair, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, had started the brighter of the two teams. Goalkeeper David Soria denied Vinicius Junior with his feet before blocking an angled effort from Arda Guler, yet Antonio Rudiger escaped punishment despite dropping his knee into the head of Diego Rico in what appeared a reckless challenge.
Getafe made Madrid pay six minutes before the interval. Satriano struck a crisp volley from the edge of the penalty area that flew past Thibaut Courtois and into the top-right corner against the run of play, giving the hosts an unlikely advantage at the break.
Madrid maintained possession throughout the second period without finding a way through. Rudiger met a Mastantuono corner in the 75th minute, only for his header to miss the open goal completely, with Dean Huijsen unable to convert nearby. Moments later, Rodrygo’s diving header from a Mastantuono cross rolled across the face of goal and wide, with Dani Carvajal unable to apply the finish.
The evening worsened for Madrid in stoppage time when referee, Alejandro Muniz Ruiz, issued Franco Mastantuono a straight red card for dissent. Getafe’s Adrian Liso was then dismissed on a second yellow card for kicking the ball away immediately before the final whistle, leaving both sides to finish the match a man short.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
