Real Madrid secured a crucial 3-2 victory against Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice to keep their La Liga title hopes alive. The win maintains their four-point gap behind leaders Barcelona ahead of next weekend's crucial El Clasico showdown.
Real Madrid built a commanding three-goal lead before surviving a late comeback attempt from seventh-placed Celta Vigo, who are pursuing European qualification for next season.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The hosts entered the match dealing with multiple defensive injuries but managed to overcome an early period of Celta pressure to take control of the proceedings.
"The game seemed finished... you have to remember we're without six defenders and we're not always capable of solving these things," said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. "Yes it could have been dealt with better, we suffered a bit, but it's a nice victory."
"We had a very good first half (but)... we fell apart, these things can't happen, it's happened to us a lot," Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde said on the club's television channel. "We left a lot minutes for them to get comfortable and they are a great team and they put us in a tough spot."
Twenty-year-old Arda Guler, starting in place of the ill Rodrygo, demonstrated his potential early with an ambitious overhead kick that went wide.
Celta created early chances as former Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso headed over and forced a save from Thibaut Courtois, while Aurelien Tchouameni missed a good heading opportunity for Madrid.
Guler broke the deadlock after 33 minutes with a brilliant curling shot past Vicente Guaita after creating space in the box.
Mbappe doubled Madrid's advantage in the 39th minute, finishing off a quick counterattack initiated by Courtois' save from Borja Iglesias, with Bellingham providing the assist.
The French striker added his second goal just three minutes into the second half, converting a perfectly weighted pass from Guler for his 24th league goal of the season, putting him one behind Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski.
Celta fought back as Javier Rodriguez scored from close range following a controversial corner decision.
The introduction of Iago Aspas energised Celta's attack, and he provided an excellent assist for Williot Swedberg to score their second goal.
Courtois had a nervous moment when Pablo Duran's shot nearly slipped from his grasp and crossed the line.
"It's the game of the year for us, the last chance for us to win La Liga," said Valverde about the upcoming Clasico.
In other La Liga action, Real Betis maintained pressure on Villarreal in the race for the fifth Champions League spot with a late 2-1 win at Espanyol, while Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad played out a goalless draw in their Basque derby.
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