The second goal was just the final insult in a disastrous afternoon for Xabi Alonso:
a defeat, three red cards, and an injured midfielder. You might think Real Madrid have dropped a lot of points lately and lost top spot, but the last three draws weren’t a bad outcome compared to what happened this time.
In matchday 15, Real Madrid were clearly exhausted. With Trent and Carvajal injured, Asensio had to play right-back. It didn’t start well for him: first Saragozza nutmegged him and went past, then Asensio gave the ball away cheaply in a harmless situation. Real problems soon followed in defence. Militao got injured chasing Duran and had to be helped off the pitch depending on just two medical staff – Rüdiger came on as substitute.
As for the game itself, Vinicius gave Real Madrid a big threat from the left and Asensio from the right. Madrid’s dominance in midfield (and in the opposition box) was undeniable, but clear chances were few in the first half. In the opening 45 minutes, the home side could only really point to Bellingham’s header, Güler’s shot, and one effort that was almost from the penalty spot. At the same time, Celta had time to counter-attack. It wasn’t one-sided.
Overall, the first half turned into a contest of dirty play – both teams picked up injuries. The winner was Rüdiger, who temporarily took out a Zaragoza player when the ball was nowhere near them. It happened without even a free kick for Celta. The perfect crime.
In the second half, Real Madrid kept pushing, but the visitors opened the scoring – and did it beautifully. Saragozza’s cross from the wing was perfect for Diedberg to finish. Real Madrid’s troubles were far from over. Fran García picked up two yellow cards in 62 seconds: first he brought down his man to stop a dangerous Celta break, then he kicked Diedberg in the leg. Neither yellow was particularly controversial, though it was surprising the Celta player hadn’t already been booked earlier for splitting Bellingham’s eyebrow.
Alonso showed clear frustration on the bench, and it didn’t all seem aimed at the officials – some of it was clearly for his own players. The visitors, now with the man advantage, started rolling the ball around and wasting time, celebrating even single successful passes.
Even so, Real Madrid still created chances. For example, Mbappé rounded the keeper and scored in one move, and then Tchouaméni headed one in sneakily. But it all ended in emotional chaos: Real Madrid players picked up four yellow cards arguing with the referee, two of which went to Carreras! A third red card was shown to the bench for Endrick, though that didn’t bother the Real Madrid coach much. The final goal felt like pure mockery.
In the 93rd minute, Celta simply carved open Real Madrid’s defence on the counter, and Svanberg walked the ball into an empty net for the second. Disappointing for Madrid, fresh content for Real Madrid TV, and now four points behind Barcelona in the table.
