Marco Asensio and Vinicius Jr scored second-half goals to earn Real Madrid a solid 2-0 home win over struggling Valencia on Thursday 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 on 20 points, one clear of the relegation zone.Real struck twice in two minutes, a magnificent curling shot into the top corner by Asensio after 52 minutes followed by Vinicius slotting home from close-range to finish off a lightning quick counter-attack.Gleison Bremer scored the winner as Juventus beat Lazio 1-0 to reach the Coppa Italia semi-finals.The hosts got a deserved breakthrough just before halftime when Bremer perfectly timed a run into the box to connect with a cross from Filip Kostic and head the ball into the net.Both sides struggled to create chances for most of the match but Juventus largely dictated the tempo.
Lazio lacked intensity to challenge a disciplined Juventus defence and never seriously threatened to get an equaliser.Massimiliano Allegri's side will face Inter Milan in the two-legged semi-finals after they beat Atalanta 1-0.