Watch: Asensio Scores Ferocious Goal, Leaves Goalkeeper Motionless As Real Madrid Beat Valencia

• Real Madrid reduced Barcelona's lead at the top of La Liga to five points thanks to Marco Asensio and Vinicius
• The 27-year-old was guilty of spurning some good opportunities to break the game's deadlock
• That notwithstanding he made amends in sensational style

Marco Asensio's long-range effort paved the way for Real Madrid to pick all three points at stake against Valencia.

After huffing and puffing to no avail in the first half, Asensio finally broke the deadlock for Carlo Ancelotti's men seven minutes after recess.

Having been handed his first start since January 22, the Spanish forward repaid the confidence reposed in him by Ancelotti with a stunning drive.

The 27-year-old who has developed a knack for scoring superlative goals pulled one from his locker, scoring a jaw-dropping goal from outside the box which left the Valencia goalkeeper stationary.

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His goal was quickly followed by a wonderful solo effort from Brazilian Vinicius Junior to double Madrid's lead two minutes later.

The defending La Liga champions have struggled to remain consistent in their title defence, helping rivals Barcelona tighten their grip at the summit of the table.

But victory over Valencia means Los Blancos cuts Barcelona's lead to five points halfway through the season, MARCA reports.

Here is the video of Asensio's goal:

Asensio set to extend Madrid stay

Marco Asensio looks likely to remain with Real Madrid for another season.

The Spanish forward has been linked with a move away from Los Blancos as he has just one year remaining on his contract.

The Spaniard joined Madrid in 2014 from Mallorca and has made 235 appearances for the club, scoring 49 goals during that time. With Madrid looking for a proven goalscorer to deputise for Karim Benzema, Asensio may have a chance to prove himself in the Spanish capital.

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Real return to winning ways

Real Madrid reduced Barcelona's La Liga lead to five points with a 2-0 win over Valencia on Thursday, thanks to spectacular goals from Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior, Sports Brief earlier reported.

The duo struck in a three-minute second-half salvo which stunned the visitors at the Santiago Bernabeu, and Valencia were later reduced to 10 men when Gabriel Paulista took a wild hack at Vinicius.

Madrid dominated throughout but an otherwise good night was tainted when captain Karim Benzema went off injured in the second half with an apparent thigh problem, and Eder Militao was also replaced for a similar reason.