Real Madrid were finally able to end their losing streak in La Liga as they got a very hard-fought 1-2 win over Celta Vigo at the Balaidos on Friday night, after having lost their last two games to Osasuna and Getafe.
Federico Valverde’s goal in injury time got the Merengues the full three points. Before that, Borja Iglesias had equalized the opening goal scored by Aurelien Tchouameni in the first half. The Frenchman also got the Man of the Match award for this game, as he once again put in a highly effective shift, even beyond the important.
Although he was not perfect, the youngster Thiago Pitarch also deserves a special mention, as he once again put in a strong performance, and showed a lot of promise in a difficult game. Ferland Mendy also put in a defensively sound outing as he got a chance to start with Alvaro Carreras suspended.
Despite keeping most of the possession, the Vikings were not too far ahead of their opponents in terms of attacking opportunities. They had the a significantly higher number of shots on goal, 14, as compared to Vigo’s 8, but the hosts had 4 shots on goal as opposed the visitors’ 3.
In fact, Iago Aspas hit the post only a few minutes before Real Madrid scored their second goal, and thus, it was only a matter of inches that got the Merengues the full points from this game.
However, Alvaro Arbeloa’s men still deserve a lot of credit for this win. A visit to the Balaidos is always difficult, and the Merengues were without almost half of their team, due to injuries and suspensions, for this game. These three points mean Real Madrid are now only 1 point behind Barcelona, although the Blaugranes are yet to play in this round, against Athletic Club.
