Vinicius Junior rises to the occasion in a vital triumph for Real Madrid over Getafe | OneFootball

Real Madrid secured a crucial win against Getafe in their race toward the La Liga title, with only one goal separating both the sides.

Carlo Ancelotti rotated the squad, giving a starting spot to Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler, and Endrick. Kylian Mbappe was ruled out due to an injury and the usual starters, such as Jude Bellingham and the out-of-form Rodrygo, were on the bench.

This meant Vinicius Junior would be the leader of the attack against a stubborn Getafe side. On his day, the Brazilian can single-handedly win his team games but this time, he was not at his best, having scored just twice in the last 7 matches.

With 18-year-old Endrick alongside him in attack, Vinicius was fully aware that the burden of leading the forward line rested on his shoulders.

He started slowly but gradually grew into the game, creating dangerous attacks and combining well with Fran García on the left flank. In contrast to Endrick, Vinicius had a much better outing and showed shades of his brilliance.

Real Madrid youngster Endrick playing against Getafe [Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images]

According to Sofascore statistics, Vinicius managed just one shot on target, with the other going wide. However, the 24-year-old stood out by delivering three key passes, creating a single clear-cut chance, and excelling in his duels, winning 8 out of 10.

Even though the 2-time Champions League winner made a couple of questionable decisions in the final third, he made up for that by being a menace up front against the Getafe defence, and the home side was finding it difficult to contain him.

He ended his 73-minute stint strongly, also recording 5/7 successful dribbles and completing 6/7 long balls.

Although he was still unable to register a goal or an assist, it was clear that his confidence was growing — a vital development with the Copa del Rey final against FC Barcelona looming and five league matches still to come.

After quite some time, Madridistas can now believe that it is only a matter of time before Vinicius Junior returns to being the best, in what has otherwise been an underwhelming season for him.