Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior found the back of the net as Real Madrid earned a thrilling 2-1 win against Celta Vigo on Saturday, pulling them level with La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Mbappe, who has been in the spotlight due to reports of an alleged incident during a trip to Sweden, opened the scoring with a stunning long-range strike. The 25-year-old has faced criticism in France for missing recent Nations League matches, but he silenced doubters with his performance, blasting the ball into the top corner after a mistake by Celta’s Fran Beltran.
Williot Swedberg equalized for Celta Vigo, slotting home after a well-worked team move, but Real Madrid quickly responded. Vinicius Junior secured the winner in the 66th minute, latching onto a perfectly weighted pass from Luka Modric, who had just come off the bench. The Croatian veteran, at 39, made an immediate impact, becoming Madrid's oldest-ever player, surpassing the legendary Ferenc Puskás.
Celta Vigo created several opportunities to equalize, with Thibaut Courtois making key saves, including a late chance for Anastasios Douvikas, who missed the target in stoppage time. Despite Celta’s pressure, Real Madrid held on to remain unbeaten in 42 La Liga matches.
The match was also notable for Carlo Ancelotti’s tactical shift, opting for a three-man defense to accommodate Lucas Vázquez as a wing-back, with regular right-back Dani Carvajal sidelined by injury. Madrid’s new setup allowed Celta some breathing room in attack but also gave Madrid dangerous counterattacking options.
With the victory, Real Madrid remain level on points with Barcelona and now look ahead to next weekend’s highly anticipated El Clásico, while Barcelona first faces Sevilla on Sunday.
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