Kylian Mbappe netted twice as Real Madrid edged out Celta Vigo in a tense 3-2 victory, ensuring they remain within reach of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Following Barcelona’s narrow comeback win over Valladolid on Saturday, Madrid held off a determined late push from Celta to preserve the four-point deficit ahead of next Sunday’s crucial Clasico clash.
Second-placed Madrid faced strong resistance from seventh-placed Celta, who are chasing a European qualification spot, and were forced to dig deep at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Despite setbacks in their Champions League campaign and a Copa del Rey final loss to Barcelona, Madrid remain hopeful of overtaking Hansi Flick’s side in the league.
With key defensive absences, Carlo Ancelotti’s men weathered an early storm and then took charge, thanks in part to a confident display from 20-year-old Arda Guler, who stepped in for the ill Rodrygo Goes.
Guler impressed early on, narrowly missing an acrobatic shot before opening the scoring on 33 minutes, curling a precise strike past Vicente Guaita after creating space in the box.
Mbappe added Madrid’s second just six minutes later, finishing off a swift counter-attack that began with a Courtois save and saw Bellingham release the Frenchman, who rifled his shot home from the right.
Mbappe struck again three minutes into the second half—his 24th league goal—after Guler provided a perfectly-timed assist, and he calmly slotted the ball low past Guaita.
Madrid appeared to be cruising until Javier Rodriguez narrowed the gap, capitalizing on a wrongly awarded corner.
Lucas Vazquez denied Pablo Duran on the line, but Rodriguez reacted quickest to score.
Substitute Iago Aspas gave Celta fresh energy, delivering a fine assist for Williot Swedberg, who slotted their second past Courtois.
Moments later, the Belgian nearly conceded again when he fumbled a shot from Duran, but the ball slowed before crossing the line.
Had Madrid dropped points, Barcelona could have sealed the title next weekend with a win in El Clasico.
What you should know
Kylian Mbappe’s brace helped Real Madrid secure a vital win over Celta Vigo, keeping their La Liga title hopes alive as they prepare for a decisive Clasico against Barcelona.
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