Real Madrid on Sunday crashed to a damaging 2-0 home defeat by Celta Vigo in Spanish La Liga, finishing the game with nine men after red cards for Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras.
Williot Swedberg struck twice in the second half for Celta, with Madrid’s second league defeat of the season leaving rivals Barcelona four points clear at the top of La Liga.
Xabi Alonso’s side, second, also lost defender Eder Militao to injury on a difficult night in the Spanish capital, before they host Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League tomorrow.
Photo: EPA
Madrid were playing their first match at home following six on the road across all competitions after hosting an NFL match at the Bernabeu, coinciding with a poor run of form, having now won just one of their last five league games.
“We have to turn the page as soon as possible. It’s only three points,” Alonso said. “We have the Champions League game against City to react in and get this bad taste out of our mouths.”
With the juicy European battle against Erling Haaland’s City approaching, Alonso chose to rest centerback Antonio Rudiger, starting with Carreras in the heart of defense.
Rudiger’s break did not last long, with the German defender coming on midway through the first half after Militao pulled up injured.
Raul Asencio started at rightback, after Trent Alexander-Arnold was sidelined for two months with a thigh injury, continuing a tough start to life in the Spanish capital for the former Liverpool defender.
Celta Vigo goalkeeper Ionut Radu made a handful of good saves in the first half, keeping out a Jude Bellingham header and Arda Guler’s drive from range.
Madrid were struggling to create serious danger as Celta set up in a tough-to-crack low defensive block, denying dangerous forwards Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior space.
Guler missed Madrid’s best chance of the first half, with the Turkish playmaker sending a shot wide on the swivel after Mbappe teed him up.
Radu also thwarted Vinicius after Aurelien Tchouameni chopped a ball in behind the defense for the Brazilian to run onto, a rare crack in Celta’s armor.
Celta’s Romanian goalkeeper turned away a fierce Fede Valverde effort from distance early in the second half, before Celta stunned the hosts.
Bryan Zaragoza crossed from the left for Swedberg, who produced a gorgeous flicked finish to beat Thibaut Courtois to send the Galicians ahead.
Fran Garcia earned two yellow cards inside a minute, the second for a clumsy foul on Swedberg, to leave Los Blancos with 10 men for the final third of the match.
Mbappe sent a lob over Radu, but down onto the roof of the net, and substitute Gonzalo Garcia headed just wide as Madrid searched for an equalizer.
Carreras was dismissed in stoppage time as Madrid lost their heads, for dissent as he protested a decision by referee Alejandro Quintero.
With Madrid down to nine and in disarray, Celta wrapped up their win as Swedberg rounded Courtois and ran the ball home.
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