Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo: 5 Classic La Liga Matches
Real Madrid will make their return to La Liga action against seventh-placed Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabéu on May 4, following their heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final last week.
Carlo Ancelotti's team sit second in the league table, four points behind Hansi Flick's Barcelona with five games remaining in the season. Meanwhile, Os Celestes sit seventh in the table, just two points ahead of Osasuna and Mallorca as they hope to play European football next season.
Moreover, Los Blancos have won their last nine league games against Celta Vigo. Their last league defeat to Os Celestes was over 10 years ago, during the 2013/2014 season.
Ahead of the La Liga game, here are five classic matches between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo.
May 12, 2018: Real Madrid 6-0 Celta Vigo
On the penultimate matchday of the 2017-2018 La Liga season, Los Blancos thumped Os Celestes 6-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Zinédine Zidane's team took a commanding three-goal lead after 30 minutes thanks to a Gareth Bale brace (13', 30') and Isco (32').
Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Achraf Hakimi made it 4-0 for Madrid. In the last 20 minutes of the game, Sergi Gómez's own goal and Toni Kroos added two more goals to end the rout.
March 3, 2016: Real Madrid 7-1 Celta Vigo
Real Madrid thrashed Celta Vigo 7-1 at the Bernabéu in the 2015-2016 season as Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals second-half goals. Just before halftime, Portuguese center-back Pepe opened the scoring for Los Blancos (41').
In the second half, Madrid scored six times; Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace in the first 10 minutes of the second half (50', 58') before Iago Aspas cut the deficit. Two minutes later, Ronaldo made it 4-1 with his 26th goal of the season before securing his fourth goal. Then, two late goals from substitutes Jesé and Gareth Bale made it 7-1 in the dying minutes of the game.
April 26, 2015: Celta Vigo 2-4 Real Madrid
In the 2014-2015 season, Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid took down Os Celestes in a six-goal thriller at the Balaídos. Nolito opened the scoring and gave an early lead to the hosts after nine minutes.
However, two consecutive goals from Toni Kroos (16') and Chicharito (24') led to Los Blancos, but Santi Mina quickly leveled the score (28'). In an end-to-end game, James Rodriguez made it 3-2 for Madrid before halftime (44'). Then, deep into the second half, Chicharito sealed the win for the visitors as he secured a brace for himself (69').
February 16, 2020: Real Madrid 2-2 Celta Vigo
On their path to a 34th La Liga title, Real Madrid were held to a 2-2 draw by relegation-threatened Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabéu.
After seven minutes, Fedor Smolov scored early to give his side the lead. However, Los Blancos stormed back in the second half and scored twice through Toni Kroos (52') and Sergio Ramos (65') from the spot to take the lead. But in the dying embers, Santi Mina tied the game to secure an essential point for the visitors.
September 12, 2021: Real Madrid 5-2 Celta Vigo
At the start of the 2021-2022 La Liga season, Los Blancos scored five past Celta Vigo as Karim Benzema bagged a hat-trick in his Ballon d'Or campaign. However, Os Celestes struck early as Santi Mina opened the scoring inside four minutes.
Karim Benzema tied the game after 24 minutes, but the visitors quickly regained their lead through Franco Cervi (31'). Los Blancos surged back in the second half, scoring twice in 10 minutes through Benzema (46') and Vinicius Junior (55') to take their first lead.
In the 20 minutes of the game, Camavinga (72') and Benzema (87') from the penalty spot sealed the win for the hosts.
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Alan Mezoela is a UK-based sports journalist from Martinique, covering European football and basketball. He writes for On SI, focusing on PSG, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, and contributes to Hoopsfix.com, covering basketball. Passionate about the game, he provides sharp analysis and breaking news coverage.
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