Real Madrid defeated Celta de Vigo with relative ease on Saturday, winning 2-0. The victory reduced Barcelona's advantage atop La Liga to eight points before Atlético Madrid's visit to Camp Nou on Sunday.
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By Mehran Mazari
In the first of Real's three La Liga games before the Copa del Rey final against Osasuna on May 6 and the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against Manchester City on May 9, goals from Marco Asensio and Éder Milito sealed the victory.
Following their victory over Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals, Madrid started Asensio, Dani Ceballos, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Antonio Rüdiger, and Nacho. Despite dominating possession throughout much of the first half, the Merengues were unable to find the back of the net.
Celta didn't pose much of a threat in the first half, and Asensio broke the score in the 42nd minute with a left-footed slam past Celta goalkeeper Iván Villar after Ceballos made a brilliant through pass down the left side to Vincius Jr., who made just one touch into the box.
Asensio scored his season-high 11th goal in all competitions, and Vinicius contributed his career-high 17th assist.
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After the break, Real kept the tempo up, searching for the two-goal lead that would let it take its foot off the gas. It wouldn't have to wait long.
Milito scored his fifth league goal of the year in the 48th minute by powering a header into the bottom left corner past a hapless Villar after Asensio took a wonderful corner into the area.
Vinicius proved to be a continuous threat on the left side for Madrid with his pace and passing into dangerous areas, but Madrid missed multiple opportunities to increase their lead.
Celta didn't pose a threat to Thibaut Courtois and the Madrid defense until the 77th minute. Celta midfielder Oscar threaded the ball past Rüdiger and Nacho in the Madrid backline to Iago Aspas, who used his strength to keep Nacho at bay and compel Courtois to make an outstanding 1-on-1 save.
The Madrid custodian, who has established himself as one of the finest in the world with his exploits over the past two years, was seen reprimanding his defense after another threatening Celta attack just one minute after Aspas' save.
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There was no cheering from the Celta supporters present; instead, the Madridistas sang the names of several players who played that night, including Nacho, Ceballos, and Luka Modric, who came on in the 81st minute to help keep the team's momentum going for the remaining minutes of the game.
"I believe that the environment around us really benefits us and encourages us to give our all, sometimes even more. Because of this, I believe all the players value and give thanks to the fans, who consistently show us support, stated Real manager Carlo Ancelotti following the game.
The next La Liga match is between Madrid and Girona on Tuesday at the Estadi Montilivi.
