Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior led Real Madrid to a thrilling 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo on Saturday, drawing them level with La Liga leaders Barcelona. Mbappe opened the scoring early, despite recent controversies surrounding his off-field life, including an investigation in Sweden. The 25-year-old had come under scrutiny for skipping France's recent Nations League matches, but he responded on the pitch with a powerful goal. Williot Swedberg briefly equalized for Celta, but Vinicius Junior sealed the win with a decisive strike in the 66th minute.
Real Madrid, currently unbeaten in 42 La Liga matches, now turn their attention to El Clasico next weekend, where they will face Barcelona. Madrid's coach, Carlo Ancelotti, made adjustments to the lineup, compensating for the absence of captain Dani Carvajal by introducing Lucas Vazquez in a wing-back role. Ancelotti's switch to a three-man defense allowed Madrid more flexibility, but also left room for Celta to test their backline. Swedberg missed a key opportunity in the first half, with Thibaut Courtois making a crucial save to keep Madrid ahead.
Mbappe's goal came from a spectacular long-range strike after Eduardo Camavinga set him up. It was the French forward's first goal from outside the box for Madrid and his sixth league goal of the season. Celta kept pressing, and Borja Iglesias had a goal disallowed for offside as the hosts fought hard for a draw. Madrid continued to push forward as Vinicius and Jude Bellingham created chances, but Celta’s defense held firm until Vinicius finally found the back of the net to secure the win.
In the closing stages, Luka Modric came on to help Madrid regain control, and the 39-year-old Croatian made history as Real Madrid's oldest player, surpassing Ferenc Puskas. His experience helped settle Madrid’s play as they closed out the match. With the victory, Madrid head into their clash with Barcelona full of confidence, knowing they are in excellent form heading into one of the season’s most anticipated fixtures.
ADD A COMMENT :