Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Real Madrid
ensured they will not lose the LaLiga title in next week’s El Clasico but their
3-2 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday will not have done much to help their
confidence.
A failure to win would have meant victory for
Barcelona when they meet in Catalonia on Sunday would effectively have been
enough to take their rivals’ crown with three matches remaining as they have a
far superior goal difference.
But in reducing the gap back to four points Carlo
Ancelotti’s side head east in seven days’ time knowing they still have a chance
to ramp up the pressure on the leaders.
However, having been coasting a 3-0 up with 21 minutes
to go they conceded twice to set the Bernabeu on edge, doing nothing for the
criticism which has been aimed at Ancelotti.
Leading through Arda Guler’s 33rd-minute strike the
direction of the game swung in the space of 30 seconds late in the first half.
Borja Iglesias’ shot looped up off Aurelien Tchouameni
and required Thibaut Courtois to brilliantly claw the ball away from dropping
under the crossbar.
In an instant Real launched a quick counter-attack
with Vinicius Junior spinning a pass inside to Jude Bellingham, who spread the
ball out to Mbappe in the inside-right channel.
The France international shifted it onto his right
foot and took a shot early, giving recovering Yoel Lago no chance to block, and
it flew past Vicente Guaita for his 23rd goal of the season.
Mbappe did not have to wait long for the 24th as three
minutes after the interval Guler slid a pass in between Celta’s two
centre-backs and the Frenchman, this time from the left, produced a left-foot
finish across the goalkeeper.
The ease of the victory was at odds with the early
stages as Real, who named just six outfield players on the bench with Antonio
Rudiger, Ferland Mendy and David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Eder Militao and
Dani Carvajal all missing, were given a scare.
Visiting defender Marcos Alonso twice threatened at
corners. In the fifth minute he powerfully nodded over and two minutes later
his header was tipped around the post by Courtois.
Tchouameni should have given the hosts the lead when
heading over from six yards but Guler made no mistake with an angled shot after
exchanging a short corner with Lucas Vazquez and cutting in on his left foot.
Mbappe then took centre-stage with goals either side
of the interval and the hosts looked comfortable.
But from a wrongly-awarded 69th-minute corner
substitute Pablo Duran’s backheel was only just prevented from creeping in at
the far post by Vazquez, who was powerless to stop Javi Rodríguez ramming home
the rebound from close range.
Seven minutes later veteran Iago Aspas picked out
Williot Swedberg, whose run had not been tracked, and he coolly beat Courtois
one-on-one.
Aspas’ vision saw him then play in Duran, whose shot
crept under Courtois and only the backspin on the ball as it caught the
goalkeeper’s body prevented it rolling across the line.
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