A narrow victory over Celta gets Real Madrid back to winning ways ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Real Madrid defeated Celta Vigo 2-1 in their La Liga game on Saturday. The Blancos bounced back from their heavy Clasico defeat as Karim Benzema converted two penalties.
Benzema is back, and so are Real Madrid!
Real Madrid started the game by dominating the possession early on while Celta looked comfortable repelling their attacks. However, a foul of Eder Militao inside the box changed the course of the game in the 19th minute.
Karim Benzema converted the penalty, only for Celta to completely change their attitude toward the game. The hosts made several fearless attacks on Real Madrid’s goal, forcing Thibaut Courtois to react with a few brilliant saves.
Celta intensified their attacks in the second half and finally managed to get their deserved equalizer in the 52nd minute. Nolito made amends for conceding the penalty when he converted Javi Galan’s assist to make it 1-1.
It seemed that Celta would be able to hold on to their draw against the league leaders. However, another penalty provided an opportunity for the guests to restore their lead.
Karim Benzema missed the second penalty, but Celta defenders gave out a third penalty only minutes later. This time, the French star made no mistake and converted the spot-kick with a confident shot.
Celta did not give up and continued to push for a draw in the final ten minutes. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side managed to hold on to their narrow win.
What’s next for Real Madrid?
Real Madrid were far from their best against Celta, but the victory was important to wash away the pain from the Barca defeat.
The Blancos will now prepare to host Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday.
Player Ratings
Celta Vigo: Dituro (7); Vazquez (6), Murillo (5), Aidoo (6), Galan (7); Beltran (5); Mendez (6), Suarez (7), Nolito (6); Aspas (7), Galhardo (6).
Bench: Mina (5), Tapia (6), Pineda (6), Cervi (7).
Real Madrid: Courtois (7); Vazquez (5), Militao (7), Alaba (5), Mendy (7); Modric (6), Kroos (7), Casemiro (8); Asensio (6), Benzema (7), Junior (6).
Bench: Valverde (6), Ceballos (5), Carvajal (6), Nacho (6), Rodrygo (7).
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