In one of the latest LaLiga Santander clashes that took place, Real Madrid faced off against Celta Vigo at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, where Carlo Ancelotti’s side emerged victorious with a 2-0 victory.
The match did go back and forth between both teams, but Real Madrid displayed their class and reminded the opponents why they are one of the best and most feared football clubs in the world. Five minutes in, Eder Militao’s stunning long ball over the top was taken down by Marco Asensio, giving Real Madrid their first half-sight of goal. However, Renato Tapia was able to deflect the ball away from harm just in time.
Asensio and Dani Ceballos attempted several fruitless forays into taking control while the hosts struggled to break down their visitors. Both shots just missed the target. On set pieces, Los Blancos also appeared dangerous, but Celta Vigo frequently escaped responsibility due to issues with inches and millimetres.
But finally the pressure paid off, and Real Madrid took the lead just before halftime. Vinicius Junior took Ceballos’ pass between two defenders in stride and cut it back for Asensio to score by a deflection off of Javi Galan. Real Madrid added their second a short time after the intermission. The rising Militao met Asensio’s corner and headed in with force for his fifth La Liga goal of the year.
In the end Real Madrid managed to seal a comfortable 2-0 victory over the hosts. Carlo Ancelotti’s side is in great form, chipping in their fifth victory in six matches to further rise up the ranks. Celta Vigo, on the other side, are struggling and are slipping down the table. They are currently in 12th place, have lost their previous three games, and must start picking up wins soon to prevent a scary season’s end.
In the end, Real Madrid had an easy victory, but the team’s performance was forgettable as seen by Carlo Ancelotti’s irritation on the sidelines. Even though Los Blancos weren’t at their best and didn’t create many clear-cut opportunities, they did enough to defeat Celta and earn all three points.
The first period of the game, in which Madrid seldom threatened, will have pleased the visitors. It just took one moment of brilliance – a wonderful through-ball from Dani Ceballos – to allow Madrid to break the deadlock when Vinicius went in behind for the first time and sent up Asensio shortly before halftime, but Celta keeper Iván Villar wasn’t tested even when they did ramp up the pressure.
Just minutes into the second half, the score was 2-0 and perhaps the game was done. Milito was discovered by Asnesio in his hanging place after flying above everyone and obediently making his way home. For the remainder of the half, Madrid’s aggressive play was off-color, with Benzema finding it difficult to connect with Vinicius, who was kept relatively quiet and unable to play the appropriate last ball when he did find some space.
Benzema’s header was the only shot Villar had to stop, and despite Celta’s struggles, they only had one save to show for it. With 15 minutes remaining, Aspas had a great opportunity to lessen the score, but he made the wrong decision by attempting to run around Courtois, who made the save.
