Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior scored crucial goals to secure a thrilling 2-1 victory for Real Madrid over Celta Vigo on Saturday, bringing them level with La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Mbappe, who is currently facing scrutiny over allegations of an incident during a visit to Sweden, gave Real Madrid the lead. The 25-year-old French forward has faced criticism for missing recent Nations League matches, and has dismissed the Swedish media reports as “fake news.”
Celta Vigo’s Williot Swedberg equalized for the home side, but Vinicius Junior scored the decisive goal in the 66th minute, sealing the win for the Spanish champions.
Real Madrid, now unbeaten in 42 La Liga matches, will host Barcelona next weekend in the much-anticipated Clasico, following the Catalans’ upcoming fixture against Sevilla.
With Dani Carvajal out due to a long-term injury, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti adjusted his defensive setup, replacing the right-back with Lucas Vazquez and opting for a three-man central defense, deviating from his usual back four.
In the first half, Swedberg had a great opportunity to put Celta ahead, but Thibaut Courtois made an impressive save to deny him. Despite Celta’s pressure, Real Madrid remained a threat on the counterattack, though they struggled to create clear chances.
Mbappe opened the scoring with a stunning long-range strike after Celta’s Fran Beltran lost possession and Eduardo Camavinga set up the Frenchman. It was Mbappe’s first goal from outside the box for Madrid and his sixth in La Liga since joining from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
Celta’s Borja Iglesias had a goal disallowed for offside, and Real Madrid’s attack continued to press, with Vinicius narrowly missing several chances before the break.
In the second half, Jude Bellingham came close to scoring for Madrid, but his effort just missed the far post. Celta’s equalizer came through Swedberg, who finished coolly after Oscar Mingueza delivered a low cross.
Vinicius briefly thought he had restored Madrid’s lead, but his goal was ruled out for offside on Mbappe during the buildup. Afterward, Luka Modric was introduced, making history as Real Madrid’s oldest-ever player, surpassing Ferenc Puskás.
Just minutes after coming on, Modric set up Vinicius with a brilliant through ball, allowing the Brazilian to score the winner past Celta goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
Courtois made another vital save to deny Jonathan Bamba, while Celta substitute Anastasios Douvikas squandered a late chance to equalize, missing the target with only Courtois to beat. The match ended with Real Madrid holding on to a hard-fought victory, further cementing their title ambitions.(AFP)
