Real survive Villarreal scare as Zidane's attacking ploy pays off

Football Soccer - Valencia v Real Madrid - Spanish La Liga Santander - Mestalla stadium, Valencia, Spain, 22/02/17 Real Madrid's coach Zinedine Zidane reacts during the match. REUTERS/Heino Kalis

MADRID (Reuters) - Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane threw caution to the wind as his side showed the capacity to handle adversity with a stirring late comeback to beat Villarreal 3-2 and stay top of La Liga on Sunday.

After Cedric Bakambu doubled Villarreal's lead in the second half, Zidane hauled off holding midfielder Casemiro for playmaker Isco and Real eventually emerged with all three points thanks to substitute Alvaro Morata's late header.