While it continues to search for its new direction, Real Madrid solved the problem by resorting to one of its oldest formulas, which is limited to hitting where it counts without having to give explanations, in the areas. Courtois saved again in hisand in the other Mbappé and Vinicius scored, with which the three fulfilled what is expected of them while the team tries to refine what is expected of the team. This is how Balaídos’ Madrid came out with another victory, making it 42 league games without losing, one shy of the historical record of Barcelona, which visits them next Saturday at the Bernabéu.
1
Vicente Guaita, Javier Manquillo (Javi Rodríguez, min. 71), Marcos Alonso, Carl Starfelt, Óscar Mingueza, Hugo Álvarez, Hugo Sotelo, Fran Beltrán (Damián Rodríguez, min. 86), Borja Iglesias (Tasos Douvikas, min. 77) , Williot Swedberg (Alfon González, min. 71) and Jonathan Bamba (Pablo Durán, min. 77)
2
Thibaut Courtois, Antonio Rüdiger, Éder Militão, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga (Rodrygo, min. 62), Lucas Vázquez, Federico Valverde (Luka Modric, min. 62), Fran García (Ferland Mendy, min. 69), Kylian Mbappé ( Dani Ceballos, min. 81), Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior
Goals
0-1 min. 19: Kylian Mbappe. 1-1 min. 50: Williot Swedberg. 1-2 min. 65: Vinicius Junior
Referee Alejandro José Hernández Hernández
yellow cards
Ancelotti (min. 18), Lucas Vázquez (min. 74), Hugo Sotelo (min. 81), Marcos Alonso (min. 89)
Real left Vigo, three days before playing against Dortmund in the Champions League, with that small certainty that they are capable of resorting to that old potion of theirs, but also with the doubts that they had. provoked a daring Celta and brilliant, who finished the game in Courtois’s area.
The results of Ancelotti’s latest invention were limited. He came out with three centre-backs, Militão, Rüdiger and Tchouameni; with Lucas Vázquez and Fran García as wingers; Camavinga and Valverde in the double pivot, and with Bellingham, Vinicius and Mbappé up top. The innovation promised them more players in front of the ball, but the first thing it achieved was to disorient Tchouameni. The Frenchman placed himself between Rüdiger and Militão to serve the ball, but he exchanged positions with the Brazilian on the right to defend. Sometimes he got stuck in traffic, and Celta immediately found him out of place thanks to clairvoyance in the pass of Borja Iglesias. The first came to nothing due to an offside. In the second, Courtois deactivated the one-on-one in which he had remained with Swedberg with the studs of his left boot.
The commotion was formidable. Ancelotti gesticulated on the bench to his assistants, sent messages to Tchouameni, continued gesturing, and ended up calling the Frenchman and Militão to explain to them on the sideline what he expected them to do.
Celta played at full speed, with a plan that worked much more clearly, despite not being able to count on either Moriba or the banner of Iago Aspas, both of whom were sent off the previous day. Bamba and Borja Iglesias finished giving meaning to what Sotelo and Fran Beltrán were weaving in the center. But football plays strange jokes and it was precisely a bad pass from Beltrán that gave Madrid what it was not achieving throughout the game. Camavinga stole and left Mbappé alone at the top of the area, with time to accommodate the ball and hit the top corner.
The goal was a relief for Madrid, still immersed in the chaos of Ancelotti’s experiment. Celta continued doing their thing, creating with order and intention, while Real reacted on impulse, with a collection of runs from Vinicius, Mbappé and Bellinghamnot too comfortable attacking from the right either. With the score in their favor, it mattered less that those impulses happened in a somewhat disjointed manner. These are footballers so lethal that any private expeditions are enough for them.
The match did not let up, from Madrid’s flashes to Celta’s elaborate pecks. Until in one of them he won a prize: Bamba opened the wing for Mingueza, and the winger put the ball in the spot where Swedberg only had to push it.
The draw marked the end of Ancelotti’s patience with his plan. He withdrew Camavinga and Valverde and introduced Rodrygo and Modric, who at that moment surpassed Puskas and became the oldest footballer to play a game for Madrid. The impact of that endless legend was almost instantaneous. Real stole from high up, something that worked better for them in Balaídos, and the Croatian guessed a run by Vinicius diagonally behind the defense towards the area. There he dribbled past Guaita and scored. The Brazilian continues to grow, but the goal was above all in Modric’s vision and passing, something that Madrid had not shown in Balaídos until their oldest player appeared.
The blow did not deflate Celta, who continued to build with their gaze forward and their pace accelerated, until they found Bamba and only another lighting from Courtois stole the tie. But not even that appeased them. They pushed Madrid against their area and even caused a final major shock to Courtois, who found himself alone against Douvikas, who finished off a good counter by Alfon. Real resisted and left with that aftertaste towards the Bernabéu, where they host Dortmund, their rival in the last Champions League final, on Tuesday.
