MADRID (Reuters) - Real Madrid ended their long wait for a La Liga victory by beating Real Valladolid 2-0 on Saturday with two late goals in interim coach Santiago Solari's first home game in charge of the struggling European champions.
Brazilian teenager Vinicius Jr. gave the new coach and an impatient Bernabeu crowd a lift in the 83rd minute by cutting in from the left and firing a shot which was heavily deflected into the net off Valladolid's Kike Olivas and awarded as an own goal to the defender.
Real had been very fortunate not to go behind on two occasions in the second half when Ruben Alcaraz and Toni Villa hammered the crossbar, but the home side sealed a first win in six league games when captain Sergio Ramos converted a penalty in the 88th minute.
The win lifted Real provisionally from ninth place up to sixth in the standings on 17 points, four behind leaders Barcelona who play at Rayo Vallecano later on Saturday.
(Reporting by Richard Martin, editing by Ed Osmond)