Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Celta Vigo, with Vinicius Junior scoring the winner. The match saw Kylian Mbappe giving Madrid the lead in the 20th minute after Williot Swedberg missed two great chances for Celta. Thibaut Courtois saved Swedberg’s second attempt, but the young forward redeemed himself in the second half by leveling the scores. Madrid regained the lead thanks to a sublime pass from substitute Luka Modric, who set up Vinicius for the winning goal.
Despite taking all three points, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was frustrated with his team’s performance, especially in defense. The forward line of Vinicius, Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham showed signs of complacency and frustration with each other during the game. Celta Vigo managed to exploit Madrid’s defensive vulnerabilities, and a more clinical opponent could have punished them. Despite closing the gap to Barcelona in La Liga, Ancelotti knows that improvements are needed ahead of upcoming matches against Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona.
Vinicius Junior was named the Player of the Match for his decisive goal that secured the victory for Real Madrid. The Brazilian forward had troubled the Celta Vigo defense throughout the game and had several dangerous attempts on goal in the first half. Despite some lapses in decision-making, Vinicius showed his class by calmly finishing the chance created by Modric. The performance was marred slightly by a missed pass in the first half, where Bellingham was open and frustrated at not receiving the ball.
Player ratings for the match saw Vinicius Junior and Thibaut Courtois among the standout performers for Real Madrid, while Swedberg was praised for his goal-scoring effort for Celta Vigo. The match highlights included Swedberg’s missed opportunity early in the game, Mbappe’s opening goal, Swedberg’s equalizer for Celta, and Vinicius Junior’s match-winning goal after Modric’s assist. Celta Vigo had one last chance to equalize but substitute Douvikas missed the target when presented with a clear opportunity.
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