Real take it easy against Valencia

MADRID, February 3

Marco Asensio and Vinicius Jr scored second-half goals to earn Real Madrid a solid 2-0 win over struggling Valencia as the visitors finished the match with 10 men.

Valencia defender Gabriel Paulista was shown a straight red 18 minutes from time for chopping down Vinicius with a wild tackle that almost started a brawl among players on the pitch.

The LaLiga champions climbed to 45 points in second place in the standings, five behind leaders Barcelona. Valencia, who fired manager Gennaro Gattuso on Wednesday, are on a five-game winless streak and are 14th. Real, bidding to retain the title, are under pressure from their archrivals Barca who are unbeaten in their last 14 matches in all competitions and on a four-game winning streak in LaLiga.

Ronaldo scores

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal for Al Nassr with a last-gasp penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw at Al Fateh in a thrilling Saudi Pro League match. The 37-year-old converted from the spot three minutes into added time, having failed to score on his debut last month. — Reuters

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