Full time: Real Madrid 2-1 Celta Vigo
Real Madrid win their 14th straight La Liga match courtesy of goals from Alvaro Morata and Toni Kroos. Celta Vigo pulled one back through Fabian Orellano, but it wasn’t enough. Real Madrid take the three points, but Celta Vigo can take heart from a decent performance against opposition who, admittedly, did just enough to win. Zinedine Zidane is unlikely to be too pleased with that rather lacklustre performance.
90+3 min: Gareth Bale tries to lob Sergio Alvarez from distance, but his audacious effort - the last action of the game - goes over the bar.
90+2 min: Good play from Sisto down by the corner flag, deep in Real Madrid territory. He turns this way and that before winning a throw-in for his team. It’s taken, but Real hack the ball down the field in a decidedly agricultural fashion.
90 min: Lucas Vazquez tries a shot on goal under pressure just inside the Celta penalty area. He loses his balance and his scuffed effort goes out for a corner. Kroos plays it down the field for Marcelo as Real attempt to play down the clock.
89 min: Raphael Varane sends James darting downfield on the counter-attack with a meaty headed clearance from a Mallo cross from the right touchline.
87 min: Pablo Hernandez bundles Vazquez to the ground as the Real Madrid substitute is franticvally trying to scramble the ball clear from near his own goal. It’s a a silly foul that gives the Real Madrid man an easy get-out when he looked in a bit of bother and Real were defending desperately.
84 min: Celta Vigo win a corner, which Fabian Orellana swings into the mixer. Kiko Casillas comes a long way off his line for the ball and doesn’t get it, but Celta can’t capitalise despite Bongonda’s effort to send a looping header goalwards. Celta substitution: Sisto on for Radoja.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-1 Celta Vigo (Kroos 81)
Toni Kroos restores Real’s lead with a fine goal from outside the penalty area. He was galloping through from midfield when Lucas Vazquez teed him up with a perfectly weighted ball across the face of the Celta penalty area, then curled his low daisy-cutter around the outstretched fingertips of Alvarez and in off the upright.
80 min: Gareth Bale goes close with a header, which is saved unconvincingly by Sergio Alvarez.
79 min: Looking at a replay of the Real goal, there was definitely a hint of offside about it. Alvaro Morato was standing in an offside position in the build-up to the goal, but was not in an offside position when he scored it. Does that make him offside? In my opinion, yes, because he was affecting play in the build-up. It’s open to interpretation, though.
76 min: Celta Vigo substitution: Pape Cheikh on for Daniel Wass. Real Madrid substitution: Mariano Diaz on for Alvaro Morato.
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76 min: Raphael Varane picks out Lucas Vazquez in the inside right channel, but the right winger’s subsequent cross into the penalty area is woeful.
72 min: Celta Vigo substitution: Iago Aspas on for John Guidetti.
70 min: Gareth Bale sends in an inch-perfect cross from the left, towards the meaty forehead of Alvaro Morata at the near post. The Spaniard leaps, but doesn’t manage to make contact with the ball.
69 min: Another Real Madrid substitution: James Rodriguez comes on for Luca Modric, who has run his little legs into stumps.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-1 Celta Vigo (Orellana 67)
Unmarked on the edge of the Real penalty area, Fabian Orellana steps on to a pass from John Guidetti, spots Kiko Casilla a mit off his line and fires the ball to the goalkeeper’s right. That was a fine strike from the Chilean.
65 min: Gareth Bale tries his luck with a flying header. No joy.
64 min: Real Madrid substitution: Lucas Vazquez on for Marco Asensio.
63 min: Casemiro wins the ball just outside the Celta penalty area and attempts to curl the ball inside of the right upright. It sails wide.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Celta Vigo (Morata 60)
Kamikaze defending from Sergio Alvarez, whose feeble clearance falls kindly for Luca Modric, who picks out Marco Asensio in the Celta penalty area. He attempts to scoop the ball over the Celta goalkeeper, who blocks his effort. It bounces nicely for Alvaro Morata, who lashes home from about 10 yards.
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53 min: Jonny is booked for a foul that yields a free-kick on the right side of the pitch just outside the Celta penalty area. He joins his fellow full-back Hugo Mallo, who was booked a couple of minutes previously for his foul on Marata, in the book. Gareth Bale’s free-kick is a good one, tipped on to the bar by Sergio Alvarez.
52 min: Real Madrid win a free-kick about 35 yards from the Celta goal for a foul on Morata. With no Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch, there’s a chance they might score from it, but Gareth Bale sends his effort sailing high and wide.
51 min: Marco Asensio brings a save out of Sargio Alvarez in the Celta goal with a long range effort.
50 min: Now Modric wins a corner for Real Madrid. Toni Kroos takes it quickly, playing it to Modric on the right side of the Celta penalty area, but it’s cleared.
49 min: Bale gets forward forcing Jonny to concede a corner. The ball’s swung into the Celta penalty area, but is headed clear by Radoja.
48 min: Celta Vigo left-back Jonny shoots high over the Real bar from distance after being teed up by Bongonda. Celta are growing in confidence here.
46 min: Great play from Celta, who ping the ball around the edge of the Real penalty area and carve their hosts open. John Guidetti squares the ball for the incoming Theo Bongonda, but the midfielder doesn’t have the legs to get on the end of the cross. A let-off for Real, who were caught napping.
Second half: Real Madrid 0-0 Celta Vigo
Real Madrid get the ball rolling for the second half with the deadlock yet to be broken. The ball’s played forward to Marco Asensio, who is dispossessed by Celta Vigo right-back Hugo Mallo.
Half-time chat: “Pressing your red button will take you to the Canary Islands,” says man on Sky Sports, while discussing tomorrow’s televised La Liga action or trying to pack as many euphemisms into one short sentence as is humanly possible.
Half-time at the Bernabeu: Real Madrid 0-0 Celta Vigo
It’s all square at the interval. Celta Vigo have come with a plan and stuck to it, although Real Madrid have made it fairly easy for them to do so. Real Madrid have come closest to scoring, with Luca Modric rattling the crossbar with one fine effort from the edge of the penalty area.
45 min: Toni Kroos gets on the ball and immediately loses it. He’s had a very quiet match.
43 min: Nemanja Radoja pounces on a half-clearance from Sergio Ramos and shoots from well outside the Real Madrid penalty area. the ball bounces three times on its way into the clutches of Kiko Casilla.
39 min: Gareth Bale picks up the ball in space on the right flank, gets forward and pulls the trigger. His long range effort is saved by Sergio Alvarez, but looked like it was going wide of the right upright anyway.
36 min: Celta Vigo are enjoying a decent spell and certainly not letting Real Madrid have it all their own way. As first halves of football go, this one is unlikely to live too long in the memory, but Celta Vigo manager Eduardo Berizzo won’t mind that if his side can make it to the interval without conceding a goal.
33 min: Real midfielder Casemiro is lucky to avoid a booking after getting involved in some handbags with Pablo Hernandez. He shoves the big man in the chest and Hernandez keeled over like a tree that had just been felled by lumberjacks. It was something and nothing, all because Celta felt aggrieved that Real Madrid didn’t put the ball out of play when John Guidetti went to ground with some minor injury.
32 min: From the ensuing corner, Bale leaps to attack the ball and heads it narrowly wide. Real Madrid are getting closer.
31 min: Another good effort from Modric, who brings a goods save out of Alvarez with a shot from just outside the Celta penalty area after being teed up by Gareth Bale.
29 min: Chance! Luca Modric takes the ball around Pablo Hernandez in midfield, powers forwards towards the edge of the Celta penalty area and unleashes a shot that whacks the cross-bar.
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27 min: Nemanja Radoja plays the ball back to Alvarez from the left touchline under pressure from Gareth Bale. I say pressure, but the level of urgency here from Real’s players is minimal.
26 min: Alvaro Morata gets a telling-off from the referee for trying to hamper Sergio Alvarez as the goalkeeper tried to kick the ball out.
24 min: For Celta Vigo, Theo Bongonda takes the selfish option, electing to shoot from a narrow angle after getting up the left flank when he should have crossed for John Guidetti. The former Manchester City striker makes no secret of his displeasure at this wasted opportunity.
20 min: Daniel Wass breaks forward up the left, drills in a cross and John Guidetti pounces on a poor clearance from Raphael Varane. He shoots for the Real goal and his shot is deflected for a corner. Nothing comes of it. They’re doing OK here, keeping their shape well and defending stoutly. Real Madrid don’t look duly troubled after 20 minutes of a match that is being played at a fairly pedestrian pace so far.
17 min: Marcelo gallops down the inside left channel before losing the ball on the edge of the Celta penalty area. Luca Modric has picked up a knock, but is trying to run it off after consulting with the Real bench.
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15 min: Playing the ball out from the right side of his penalty area, Celta Vigo goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez scuffs a poor clearance straight to Luca Modric about 40 yards from goal. The Real midfielder shoots goalwards, but Alvarez is able to scramble back to keep the shot out before sheepishly raising an arm in apology to his team-mates.
13 min: Alvaro Morata curls an effort wide of the left upright from the edge of the penalty area after good work through the centre by Marco Asensio. The striker picked out Bale on the edge of the penalty area, he was tackled and the ball broke to Morata, who shot.
10 min: Pablo Hernandez wins the ball in midfield and plays out wide to Orellana on the right wing. He attempts to switch wing with a crossfield ball to John Guidetti but his pass is wayward.
9 min: Roncaglio slides in to cut off Morata as he attempts to latch on to a pass from deep in the channel between the touchline and the left side of the Celta penalty area. He doesn’t get the ball and Morata appeals for a free-kick, but none is forthcoming.
7 min: Real goalkeeper Kiko Casilla plays the ball out from the back and it’s pinged back and forth from flank to flank as Real Madrid patiently probe for an opening. Nothing of much interest to report so far.
6 min: Fabian Orellana gets in behind Marcelo in the Real Madrid left-back area but is penalised for offside. He castigates Daniel Wass for not releasing the ball a mite earlier.
4 min: Interesting fact: Celta Vigo have conceded 17 goals in their past four matches against Real Madrid.
2 min: Gareth Bale plays a lovely ball up the right flank towards Alvaero Morata, who takes it around Facunda Ronchaglio and cuts inside. Gustavo Cabral clears for Celta Vigo.
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo is go!
1 min: Play is under way at the Bernabeu.
A Spanish Olympian is introduced to the crowd ...
Wearing the two gold medals she won in the swimming pool at Rio, Mireia Belmonte is introduced to the crowd and receives a warm ovation. A minute of silence - of sorts, it’s soundtracked by some haunting music - follows for the victims of the earthquake in Italy during the week.
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Not long now: The teams line up in the tunnel with various players shouting whatever the Spanish is for “C’mon boys!” as they march out on to the Bernabeu sward and line up either side of the of match officials. There’s no hanging about as handshakes are exchanged and they prepare for action. Real’s players line up in their usual all white home kit, while their opponents wear blue shirts, blue shorts and blue socks.
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo line-ups
Real Madrid: Casilla, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Modric, Casemiro, Kroos, Bale, Morata, Asensio.
Subs: Ruben Yanez, Pepe, James, Kovacic, Lucas, Mariano, Canilo
Celta Vigo: Alvarez, Mallo, Cabral, Roncaglio, Jonny, Radoja, Wass, Bongonda, Orwellana, Hernandez, Guidetti.
Subs: Ivan Villar, Aspa, Sisto, Sergi gomez, Planas, Sene, Pape Cheikh
📝⚽️🏟
— Real Madrid C. F. (@realmadrid) August 27, 2016
Este es nuestro once inicial frente al @rccelta_oficial. #RMLiga #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/WQrIi5UwQs
⚽ 11 ante el @realmadrid. ¡#HalaCelta!#RealMadridCelta pic.twitter.com/DEDhih2Hxx
— RC Celta (@rccelta_oficial) August 27, 2016
Hola sports fans ...
Having lost their opening La Liga match of the season against newly promoted Leganés, Celta Vigo face a far sterner test tonight. They travel to the Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid, who swatted Real Sociedad aside with a minimum of fuss last weekend despite missing a key number of personnel including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Pepe and Luca Modric.
Having lost Nolito to Manchester City, Celta were very poor in defeat at home against Leganés and it they play as badly again could find themselves on the wrong end of a hiding here.
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