Jude Bellingham's Heroics Propel Real Madrid to a Sensational Comeback Victory Against Almeria

Jude Bellingham played a pivotal role in orchestrating Real Madrid’s spectacular comeback from a two-goal deficit, securing a thrilling victory over La Liga’s bottom side, Almeria. The winless visitors took a shock 2-0 lead at the Bernabeu with goals from Largie Ramazani and Edgar Gonzalez, stunning the home crowd and defying expectations.

Almeria, having picked up just a solitary point on the road in their challenging 2023-24 campaign, surprised everyone with a goal just 38 seconds into the game. Neat build-up play allowed Lucas Robertone to slip in Ramazani, and his low effort wrong-footed Real’s goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga. Gonzalez’s sweetly-struck half-volley in the 43rd minute then flew over a flat-footed Kepa, further increasing Almeria’s advantage.

Real Madrid, expected to dominate against Almeria, faced a challenging situation. However, the complexion of the game changed when Real was controversially awarded a penalty. The VAR decided that the ball had brushed the arm of Almeria’s Kaiky, with Antonio Rudiger deemed not to have committed a foul in the build-up. Bellingham stepped up confidently to convert the penalty, reducing the deficit.

Almeria thought they had a third goal when Sergio Arribas slotted the ball past Kepa from Ramazani’s cross, but the VAR overruled it. The drama continued as Vinicius Jr leveled the score with another controversial goal initially ruled out for handball. The referee reviewed it on the pitchside monitor and overturned his original decision.

Despite the VAR controversies, Almeria’s manager, Gaizka Garitano, was sent off for a second booking for dissent. Real Madrid seized the opportunity in the ninth minute of the 11 minutes of injury time. Bellingham’s well-directed header found Dani Carvajal, who applied a close-range finish to secure the dramatic win.

The victory briefly placed Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table, but Girona reclaimed the summit with a 5-1 victory over Sevilla later that Sunday. Ukraine’s Artem Dovbyk, La Liga’s joint-top scorer with Bellingham on 14 goals, netted a hat-trick for Girona. Despite Almeria’s claims of being “robbed” due to VAR decisions, Real’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti, defended the decisions, acknowledging the strange nature of the game and the team’s fatigue.