Soccer | LaLiga
Real Madrid's return to the Bernabéu
After months of renovation, Real Madrid made their return to their home at Estadio Bernabéu on Sunday where they defeated Celta Vigo in a comeback win 5-2.
It was an exciting day for Real Madrid fans on Sunday. After months of renovation, the Bernabéu finally opened up for the club to play and fans to watch. Though the construction isn't quite finished and won't be for some time, it is functional and on its way.
The last game that Los Blancos played at Bernabéu was on March 1, 2020, just before Spain went into a strict lockdown due to the Covid 19 pandemic. It was a special day for fans, the team, and the coaches, to finally be back home.
Real Madrid's comeback win
In the first 45 minutes of the game, Real Madrid was looking a bit unstable. The first goal in the revamped stadium went to Celta to give them an early 1-0 lead. Madrid was looking rough for a while, but finally tied up the game about halfway through it with a goal by Karim Benzema. Celta did not take long to regain the lead, however, when Franco Cervi hit the goal poast and then scored on the rebound to put them ahead again 2-1.
Madrid made an incredible comeback, starting with Benzema scoring to tie the game 2-2 just after the half. The third goal came from a setup by Benzema to Miguel Gutierrez and the fourth from Eduardo Camavinga, who made his debut by putting Madrid up 4-2. Celta couldn't keep up and Benzema scored a third goal to give Madrid the 5-2 win with his hat trick. A welcome back to the stadium, indeed!
"We did that today and had a great crowd in the stadium," said Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti. "And the atmosphere is always special at the Bernabéu."