Celta Vigo 1-2 Real Madrid (Tchouaméni & Valverde). A very, very late winner… This is my immediate reaction. Get more: Player ratings, interviews and a ManagingMadrid podcast.
Performances haven’t always been up to scratch under Álvaro Arbeloa, and now results were starting to take a nosedive as well Celta Vigo were going to be one of the easier games coming up in the next few weeks, so a win here would be important to try and get over that Getafe defeat from the last match. Thiago Pitarch kept his place in the line-up, but the was the only Castilla player present, contrary to reports in the build up to the game. Six Castilla players were on standby from the bench, though. Brahim Díaz got the nod over Gonzalo García. Fede Valverde captained the side.
The game started well as Vinícius Júnior missed a chance before Aurélien Tchouaméni sent Madrid into the lead with another lightning strike from the edge of the box. Celta fought back, though – and were level after a one-on-one with Thibaut Courtois. They could have led at the break, but Courtois refused to be beaten again. 1-1 at half-time.
A big second-half was needed from Madrid to avoid another embarrassment, but the structure looked confused, with players assuming questionable spaces at different points during the game. A penalty shout was all the visitors could muster for the first 30 minutes of the half, causing immense frustration amongst fans. The frustration rose when another penalty shout was denied (for a duel in the build up) by VAR, this time for handball. Late on, Celta hit the post through Iago Aspas – but Real Madrid did not look likely to score a winner. That was until the final second, when Fede Valverde tried his luck, and a deflection helped the ball find its way into the net to save the day for Los Blancos. The final score, with a dash of fortune, was 2-1 to Real Madrid . Thoughts?
