Real Madrid beat a Celta without problems who was very far from his best version, the one of December in which he did not know defeat. The white team added three points in a game that seemed complicated and it was very placid for a Madrid that sleeps as a leader.
Zidane, After the draw in Elche, they stopped experimenting against Celta who arrived at Di Stéfano in full swing. The white coach again bet on Mendy leaving to Marcelo on the bench and opted for Nacho to replace Ramos. Zidane knew what was at stake and played it safe. And in this context of betting on reliability, Hazard, For now, it does not enter into Zidane's plans for the Belgian to start.
French makes good that what works you don't touch. This Real Madrid is recognizable and could be seen from the first minute against Celta, a team that was like a glove for the whites. It is a team that likes to have the ball, that lets us play and that for Real Madrid is a gift. The whites came out in command and scored fast. Was Lucas Vazquez the one who made it 1-0 in the sixth minute after a cross from Marco Asensio. An action, that of the goal, that was born from the boots of Nacho saving the goal of Blades. That occasion was the best and most dangerous for Celta in the first half and unfortunately for the Galician team it ended in the white goal.
Real Madrid felt comfortable after 1-0 and continued to control the rhythm of the match against Celta in which Denis, Nolito, Mina and Aspas they did not appear. The Galician team was giving the duel having more the ball, but without generating scoring chances, although he requested a penalty by hand of Mendy that neither the referee nor the VAR considered as such. Real Madrid, meanwhile, was still just as comfortable despite the fact that the ball belonged to Celta and was looking for the sentence looking for quick and direct exits from behind. Neither the Galician nor the Madrid game plan worked and the break was 1-0 on the scoreboard.
Aspas injury and Asensio goal
The second part began as the first ended. Celta having the ball and Real Madrid waiting behind. Everything changed in the 50th minute. Blades suffered an entry of Nacho which ended with the striker leaving injured. Right after, at minute 53, Marco Asensio scored the 2-0 after a pass from Lucas Vázquez in a quick and direct play by the whites.
That goal gave Real Madrid peace of mind while Celta, without their goal man, sought to enter the game with more enthusiasm than football. So the minutes went falling with those of Zidane generating opportunities to increase the score. With the duel under control, Zidane gave entry to Hazard to add minutes of competition and Odegaard who returned to play a month later.
The final stretch of the game was a pure procedure in which the triple change of Real Madrid, with a card to Carvajal included, was more interesting than what was happening with the ball in motion. In the end, the scoreboard did not move despite the fact that Celta was close to scoring in the extension, but Madrid ended up adding three points that allow them to sleep as leader.
(+) See the summary and the goals of the match:
| 1 T. Courtois | 13 Ruben | ||
| 2 D. Carvajal 85 ' | 2 Hugo Mallo | ||
| (twenty Vinicius Jr.) | 4 N. Araujo | ||
| 5 R. Varane | 24 J. Murillo | ||
| 6 Nacho | fifteen L. Olaza | ||
| 2. 3 F. Mendy | 6 D. Suarez | ||
| 14 Casemiro | 9 Nolito 64 ' | ||
| 10 L. Modrić for 85 ' | (27 M. Baeza) | ||
| (twenty-one M. Ødegaard) | 14 R. Tapia | ||
| 8 T. Kroos 85 ' | 2. 3 Brais mendez | ||
| (fifteen F. Valverde) | 10 Iago Aspas 51 ' | ||
| 17 Lucas Vazquez | (8 F. Beltrán) | ||
| 9 K. Benzema 90 ' | 22 Santi Mina | ||
| (24 Mariano) | |||
| eleven M. Asensio 74 ' | |||
| (7 E. Hazard) | |||
Goals:(1-0) Lucas Vázquez (6 '), (2-0) M. Asensio (53')
Cards:L Brais Méndez (10 '), M. Asensio (38'), R. Tapia (42 '), Nacho (50'), D. Carvajal (84 '), Casemiro (87')L
Referee: by Burgos Bengoetxea R.
Spectators: 0 at the Alfredo Di Stéfano
| THE BEST Real Madrid and its reliability when Zidane forgets about experiments | |
| WORST The Celta who was not the one who seemed unstoppable in December |