Celta 1-2 Real Madrid summary: score, goals, highlights, LaLiga
Celta 1-2 Real Madrid: as it happened
Celta 1-2 Real Madrid: summary
Real Madrid took another step towards the Liga title in Balaídos in a game that will dominate the back pages on Sunday morning after the visitors were awarded three penalties. According to statistician MisterChip, it was only the second time in the history of the Spanish top flight that an away team has been given three spot kicks (after a game between Real Valladolid and Oviedo in 1996) and it's fair to say the home fans were not very happy about it.
Matías Dituro stopped one of them, becoming the first stopper to keep Karim Benzema at bay since 2018, but the Madrid striker landed the other two to cancel out Celta's equalizer, scored through Nolito after some great work on the left from Javi Galán, who was a thorn in the visitors' side all afternoon, leading to Lucas Vázquez being subbed for Dani Carvajal, who had little more luck against a left back who will surely be be interesting some of the league's big spenders at this rate.
Celta will feel hard done by and not without justification - Madrid's third penalty was extremely questionable - but can take solace from the fact they deserved more from an excellent performance.
In wider terms, Madrid's victory could be made even more significant tomorrow evening when Barcelona host Sevilla at Camp Nou. Xavi's side are unbeaten in 12 and should Sevilla draw a blank it really will be Madrid's title to lose.
In the post-match interviews, both Iago Aspas and, tellingly, Thibaut Courtois have expressed their doubts about Madrid's third penalty. One for the back pages tomorrow.
And there's the whistle! Balaídos erupts in derision but Madrid hold on for a 2-1 victory that sends them 12 points clear of Sevilla pending tomorrow's game in Camp Nou.
It's slung in, a sky blue shirt gets something on it but it spirals up and over and it's a goal kick.
Murillo! Close from Celta, the Colombian defender meeting a Suárez cross and heading wide! Corner given, Dituro is coming up...
Santi Mina goes down in very similar conditions, with exactly the same result.
Denis Suárez goes down in the area and the home fans howl for a spot kick but the ref says no dice. He was rather looking for one in fairness.
Four minutes added!
Tapia looks for Vázquez at the far post but overhits his delivery and time is running out for Celta. Courtois takes his time over the goal kick.
Tapia goes in hard on Rodrygo and Madrid have a free kick to run down a few more seconds.
Celta go all the way back to Dituro, who pumps the ball straight out for a throw. Celta starting to lose a little bit of faith now.
One for Dituro's scrap book anyway, although we doubt he's any happier about facing three than the crowd are.
Madrid on the back foot as Aspas and Mina buzz around the area but the visiting defence manages to hack it clear eventually.
Braís Ménez is off with what looks like an injury and Orbelín Pineda comes on for the home side.
Another corner for the hosts as Vázquez's cross hits Mendy.
Galán gets away again and wins a corner for Celta.
The fans in Balaídos are ironically singing "penalty, penalty" every time a Madrid player is brushed anywhere around the area now. Both awards were definitely questionable, "open to interpretation" etc, but the bald fact for the hosts is they have 15 minutes to seek some compensation at the other end.
And that's the end of Modric's afternoon as Fede Valverde comes on for Madrid.
Renato Tapia and Santi Mina on for Celta as Coudet rolls the dice.
This time the Madrid striker makes no mistake and hammers an unstoppable shot just inside the post to restore the visitors' lead.
Gooooooooooooooool! Benzema!
Benzema again....
This one is just as questionable as the Frenchman trips over Kevin Vázquez's static foot. Balaídos is not happy...
Goodness gracious.... Madrid have another penalty!
And it's saved! Dituro goes to his right again and this time Benzema is not feinting and goes the same way and the Argentinean palms the effort away!
Benzema steps up...
Another penalty for Madrid as Rodrygo goes down in the area! There was contact, albeit not very much, and the Brazilian did the rest.
Aspas! The forward whips in a cross and has two teammates closing on it but neither make contact and it bounces out on the far side untuoched.
Lucas Vázquez and Asensio make way for Madrid, Carvajal and Rodrygo on.
Galhardo off, Franco Cervi on for Celta.
Madrid need to tighten up on the right of defence, where Galán currently has the freedom of Balaídos.
Galhardo! Galán again with a lovely cross from the left and the Brazilian gets a head on it but can't keep it down.
Celta carve through the Madrid back line and Javi Galán has acres of space on the left to pick his man. He fizzes in a first-time cross for Nolito, who strokes past Courtois to bring the home side level!
Goooooooooooooooooool! Nolito!
A lovely combination between Asensio and Vázquez gives the former the chance to shoot but his curled is high and wide.
Modric! Great strike from the Croatian, who spots the bottom corner, but Dituro is down to palm it behind for a corner.
We're back underway in Balaídos!
Aspas is still in deep discussion with the referee as the sides emerge for the second half. No changes at the moment by the looks of.
Half time stats
The numbers bear out Celta's superiority in the opening half, the hosts edging the possession stakes and hitting seven goal attempts to Madrid's four, with Courtois the busier of the two keepers so far.
And there's the whistle! Celta fans show their annoyance with some of the refereeing in that half but the home side are very much still in the game and have shown they can trouble Madrid at the back. Plenty on the bench for Coudet as well, perhaps even more in the attacking positions than Madrid have at their disposal.
And it is all Celta again as the hosts pour forward in search of an equalizer they broadly deserve on the balance of the first half. Two minutes added in Balaídos.
As we saw against Barcelona when every decision went the visitors' way, that sort of thing has a tendency to snap Celta out of their mid-game, gone-behind malaise.
And it's chalked off! VAR decides Aspas, despite not touching the ball, did enough to prevent Alaba from hokking it clear. It's letter of the law stuff we suppose but you can't help wondering which way that sort of decision would have gone at the other end of the pitch.
The Brazilian rises to meet a cross and thumps the post with a header. The ball then spins back into the far corner of the goal, shepherded in by Aspas, who deserves credit for not applying a tap of his own.
Goooooooooooooooooool! Galhardo!
Santi Mina and Franco Cervi out to warm up for Celta, two more attacking options for Coudet.
Javi Galán is first into the book for protesting after a foul on Asensio.
Benzema adds another effort to the shots on target tally but it wasn't going to bother Dituro. Alaba the provider of the pass, the Austrian getting forward a lot more now as Celta's press goes through a lull.
There's a collision between Kevin Vázquez and Mendy but the ref says it was accidental, as the Frenchman had suggested.
Madrid have settled now after the goal and it's Celta who are doing the running off the ball.
Celta have gone behind in 13 games this season and have only managed to recover to earn a point in two of them.
Courtois! What a save! Aspas hits a lovely shot that is curling into the top corner and the Belgian makes a sprawling save to deny him! Even a couple of Celta players slapped the keeper's hand after that.
And now Celta have a very handy looking free kick on the edge of the area as Kroos fouls Suárez.
That's a tough blow for Celta, who were having the better of the opening exchanges. Still, Barça went 3-0 up in Balaídos and left with a point.
That's 23 goals for Benzema in LaLiga this season. No player has scored 30 in the league for Madrid since Cristiano Ronaldo departed and the France forward now only needs seven from what's left of this afternoon and the eight games after that.
Goooooooooooooooool! Benzema! The Frenchman steps up and just rolls it in with Dituro committed to his right.
Penalty! Nolito is adjudged to have clipped Militão in the area and the ref points to the spot.
Vincius! A quick transition from Madrid and the Brazilian unleashes a shot in the area that Dituro gets a hand to.
There is a distinct lack of urgency among the visitors, with Celta applying their trademark press to prevent Madrid bringing the ball out. It's pretty comfortable for the home side at the moment.
Courtois! Celta with some lovely build-up play and Madrid chasing the shadows on the Balaídos pitch. The back four stand off and allow Fran Beltrán a shot that the Belgian keeper palms away for another corner.
Benzema! Some nice one-touch stuff from Madrid opens a hole in the Celta defence and a clipped cross from Lucas Vázquez is met by the France striker at the far post, but he can only find the side netting from that angle.
Good defending from Militão, who has Aspas to deal with after a ball over the top and does enough to draw a foul inside the area.
Another corner for Celta as Galán gets forward and finds Aspas, whose cross is blocked by Militão.
Aspas! An early chance for Celta as the forward is picked out in the area but his shot is blocked and out for a corner.
And we're underway in Balaídos! Celta get the ball rolling.
Carlo Ancleotti will not be in the touchline today of course, the Madrid boss having tested for covid-19, with his son Davide taking the reins for the visitors today.
The sides are out on the pitch and it's a glorious day in Vigo, with a sell-out at Balaídos.
The teams are out and warming up now and we're just under 10 minutes from kick off.
An interesting statistic here... we're not aware of any issue with Carvajal so can only assume it's a knock-on effect of the Clásico defeat and the gold mining Barcelona did on the right of Madrid's back four in Camp Nou.
It's certainly looking like a perfect afternoon for a game in Vigo...
Celta starting XI confirmed
Coudet has named an attacking side to face Madrid, with Aspas and Galhardo up top with support from Denis Suárez, Nolito and Braís Méndez. Club captain Hugo Mallo is out for the rest of the season, so Kevin Vázquez comes in at right back.
As ever, Celta's fortunes today will rest largely at the feet of Iago Aspas, who is consistently among the top Spanish marksmen in the division and has 13 to his name this campaign. Overall, the Spain forward has 116 in 226 Liga games for Celta.
Real Madrid starting XI confirmed
Madrid's starting XI has been announced, with only one change from what has become Ancelotti's favoured line-up this season, Lucas Vázquez coming in at right back for Dani Carvajal.
Celta's Real Madrid hoodoo
Celta do not enjoy a particularly good record against Madrid though. The Celestes have not beaten today's opposition since 2011, a 2-0 victory at Balaídos, and have lost 13 of the 15 league fixtures between the sides snce then. The reverse fixture at the Bernabéu last September ended 5-2 to Madrid.
However, Celta have lost only four league games since the beginning of November.
The game Carlo Ancelotti will have been looking at most keenly in the build-up to this one will have been the visit of Barcelona to Balaídos back in November. The Catalans were in between coaches then, with Segi Barjuán on the touchline for the visitors, and the interim boss seemed to have everything perfectly under control at half time with a 3-0 lead in the bag. Celta did not enjoy the way Barça's players reacted at the end of the first 45 though and came out with their tails up, socring three without reply to earn a point. Complacency will be discouraged by the Italian.
Celta meanwhile are hovering in mid-table, evidence of the unopredictable nature of Eduardo Coudet's occasional entertainers, who beat Mallorca 4-3 a few weeks ago in a classic and then stumbled to a 1-0 away los at Villarreal a week later. Just before the international break Celta recorded their fifth 0-0 of the season.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 40 | 29 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| 10 | 38 | 29 | 10 | 8 | 11 |
| 11 | 36 | 29 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| 12 | 36 | 29 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| 13 | 32 | 28 | 9 | 5 | 14 |
Hello and welcome to AS USA's live coverage of the LaLiga week 30 match between Celta Vigo and Real Madrid from Balaídos. Kick-off is at 18:30 local time (12:30 ET / 09:30 PT)