Dani Ceballos knew exactly where the ball was going to go. He took one step onto his left foot, before sweeping his strike with his right, curling it inside the post. It was a classy finish from a player who doesn't often score goals. It was a vital one, too, a strike to complete a 3-2 comeback over Villarreal in the Copa del Rey last 16 after losing the Super Cup final to Barcelona last weekend.
Real Madrid turned in a forgettable first-half performance, but did much better in the second, with Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Ceballos leading a massive turnaround to send Madrid to the last eight of the competition.
Villarreal were all over Real Madrid in the first half, and opened the scoring inside five minutes. Etienne Capoue burst into the box, corralled a flick from Gerard Moreno, and rifled the ball into the top corner.
Fede Valverde could have drawn Madrid level shortly after, but skied his shot with the goal gaping. And he was eventually made to pay, as Villarreal grabbed a second shortly before half-time. Samuel Chukwueze and Moreno played a neat one-two, with the latter smashing the ball past Thibaut Courtois.
But Madrid were a much changed side in the second half. They got one back just before the hour mark, with Vinicius Junior capping off a flowing move with a side-footed finish. Their second came 10 minutes later, after Militao reacted first to a loose ball inside the Villarreal box. And Ceballos added the crucial third with five minutes remaining, driving the ball into the corner before diving to the ground to welcome a pile of team-mates.
