Real Madrid suffer a damaging 2-0 defeat at home to Celta Vigo, leaving the spirited visitors with nine men by the end after red cards for Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras.
Williot Swedberg struck twice after the break to propel Celta, and Madrid’s second league loss of the campaign bundles Barcelona four points clear at the summit of La Liga. Xabi Alonso’s men also faced a setback with defender Eder Militao picking up an injury on a night that proved particularly tough in the Spanish capital.
Madrid were playing their first home game after a six-match run on the road across all competitions, a stretch that included hosting an NFL game at the Bernabeu. The poor run of form continued, as Carlo Ancelotti’s side managed to win only one of their previous five league fixtures.
Celta hit the front after a bright opening spell in which Ionut Radu, the visitors’ goalkeeper, produced several fine saves, denying Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler. Madrid struggled to carve out meaningful chances against a stubborn Celta block that crowded the box and limited space for Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
Madrid’s best moment of the first half came when Guler, on the swivel after a setup by Mbappe, fired narrowly wide. Radu also kept out Vinicius shortly after when Aurelien Tchouameni found space to thread a ball behind the defense.
In the second period, Radu again denied Valverde from range as Celta held firm before breaking through. Swedberg received a classy assist on the left from Bryan Zaragoza, flicking the ball past Thibaut Courtois to give Celta the lead.
Madrid appeared shell-shocked, with Bellingham bleeding from a cut sustained in a clash with Iglesias, the Celta target man. Garcia then picked up two yellow cards inside a minute, the second for a foul on Swedberg, leaving Madrid with ten men for the final third of the match.
Despite attempts to salvage an equaliser, including a lob from Mbappe that cleared Radu but landed on the roof of the net and a late header from substitute Gonzalo Garcia drifting narrowly wide, Madrid could not find a breakthrough. Carreras’s late stoppage-time dismissal for dissent compounded the capitulation as the referee’s decision sparked further frustration.
With Madrid reeling and nine men, Swedberg sealed the win by fooling Courtois and slotting home in stoppage time.
In other fixture news, Espanyol continued their strong start to the season with a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano at the RCDE Stadium, moving up to fifth. Roberto Fernandez converted a first-half penalty to seal the result for Manolo Gonzalez’s side, who climb within four points of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, having played one game fewer than Diego Simeone’s team.
Unai Lopez of Rayo was sent off after the break following a second yellow, and the hosts wasted several chances to extend their lead. Both teams finished with ten men as Tyrhys Dolan picked up a second yellow late on for Espanyol.
What do you think about Madrid’s decision to rest Rudiger and push Carreras into central defense ahead of a crucial Champions League clash with Manchester City and Erling Haaland? Does this tactical gamble pay off, or does it leave the back line vulnerable? Share your views in the comments.
