MADRID - An early goal from Turkish striker Enes Ünal shocked LaLiga leaders Real Madrid as they lost 1-0 at Getafe on Sunday and ended an unbeaten run that had lasted 15 matches in all competitions.
With 46 points from 20 games, Real Madrid are still top but are not as comfortable as before. Sevilla are second with 38 points and two games in hand, and will visit second-from-bottom Cádiz on Monday.
Getafe, led by former Watford manager Quique Sánchez Flores, extended their unbeaten streak in LaLiga to six matches and are 16th in the standings, three points above the relegation zone. It was their first win over Real in a decade.
Ünal scored with a low, powerful strike in the ninth minute after pressuring Real defender Éder Militão into giving up the ball inside the box.
Eder Militao with the mistake and Getafe lead Real Madrid ♂️ pic.twitter.com/rBUWfQ0Jtg
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 2, 2022
“Let’s be honest, we lost because of a rare individual mistake from Militão who is probably our best player this season,” Real midfielder Casemiro told reporters. “We tried really hard but their keeper was inspired. We were not in our best form today. In Real Madrid we need to play better; it’s not acceptable to lose any game this way.”
Real Madrid had almost 75% of possession but managed only four shots on target during the entire game.
"There is not much to say after a game like this," said manager Carlo Ancelotti. "It looked like our team took a few more days of vacation after Christmas."
The team clearly missed the spark that forward Vinícius Jr usually brings as the Brazilian was absent after a positive COVID-19 test on Wednesday.
Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard was named to the substitutes' bench for the second time running by Ancelotti after being out of the starting 11 for three months. Hazard came on in the second half but contributed little to what was probably Real Madrid's worst match of the season.
Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić was the lone positive note for the leaders as he created most of Real's opportunities, including a long shot in the first half that hit the bar.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; editing by Clare Fallon)
