Villarreal dealt a significant blow to Real Madrid’s slim chances of clinching the La Liga title as Samuel Chukwueze’s magnificent strike secured a 3-2 victory for the visitors at the Bernabeu.
Despite taking the lead through a Pau Torres own goal and later with a solo strike from Vinicius Jr, Real were unable to hold on as Chukwueze equalized and then scored a stunning late winner.
The defeat leaves Real a distant 12 points behind league leaders Barcelona, with just 10 games left to play.
Real’s hopes of defending their title now seem unlikely, barring a strong end to the season and an unforeseen collapse by Barcelona.
Real was denied a late equalizer when a penalty awarded for a handball by Aissa Mandi was overturned by the referee after a VAR review.
The win moves Villarreal up to fifth place in the table, four points behind the top four.