Celta Vigo v Real Madrid: La Liga – as it happened
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http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/apr/26/celta-vigo-v-real-madrid-la-liga-live Version 0 of 1. 10.00pm BST22:00 Summary Real Madrid march on, and are just two points behind Barcelona at the top of La Liga, but they were lucky here. Both teams’ defending was suicidal, which made for a thrilling game, and a hatful of chances. Ultimately Real’s players showed their quality in finishing those opportunities – Hernandez in particular – but Celta can feel aggrieved that they didn’t get the rub of the green from the referee. Isco didn’t have the best game, but he did whip out a spinning roulette pass to set up Real’s third goal, so at least we can hang our collective hats on that. Thanks for reading, and for your emails and tweets. Bye! Updated at 10.00pm BST 9.50pm BST21:50 Full-time: Celta Vigo 2-4 Real Madrid Carlo Ancelotti breathes a sigh of relief. 9.49pm BST21:49 90+2 min: With their six at the back, Real are popping it about, as the clock counts down. They’ve definitely got away with one here, and but for a couple of lucky bounces, and a couple of decisions in their favour, could well have lost. As it is, they are still in the title race. 9.48pm BST21:48 90 min: Three minutes added for injury time. 9.47pm BST21:47 89 min: Krohn-Dehli and Carvajal are both shown a yellow card for dissent, with Real angry at the fact that Celta didn’t kick the ball out of play so that Kroos could receive treatment. The German appeared to jar his knee in a challenge with Bongonda. Carvajal will also now miss the next match, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, based upon tonight’s performance. 9.45pm BST21:45 87 min: Nolito has been a constant menace tonight, he is a definite contender to be man-of-the-match along with Hernandez. He is very one-footed though, and Varane should know that he will want to cut back on his right. Nolito does exactly that, but flashes his shot wide. @michaelbutler18 my 4 year old could slot into reals Dfence the way they r playin tonight. Where do u think Nolito will be next season? I would love to see him in England, I think his direct approach in the final third and the way he commits defenders would really suit the Premier League. Looks to have the physique for it, too. Perhaps a club like Southampton? Updated at 10.00pm BST 9.42pm BST21:42 85 min: Real make their final change, Arbeloa on for Rodriguez. Real now have six defenders, two midfielders and two attackers on the field! 9.41pm BST21:41 84 min: Ramos is booked for going in late on Celta’s Hernandez. That’s 10 yellow cards for the season now, so he will be suspended for Real’s match against Almeria on Wednesday. 9.40pm BST21:40 82 min: Real make another sub: Jesé on for Isco. 9.40pm BST21:40 81 min: The tempo of the match has gone out of the game since Orellana and Mina went off. That will suit Real fine, Ronaldo is happy simply to play keep-ball. The Portuguese has been booed all night by the Celta fans. 9.38pm BST21:38 79 min: Another decision goes against Celta, Berizzo is furious on the touchline: Nolito cutting in off his left and going down under the challenge of Carvajal. It’s a poor tackle but the referee waives play on. Lucky Carvajal, he’s had a poor match, and Porto’s Danilo, who is due to join Real in the summer, will be watching this with glee. 9.36pm BST21:36 77 min: Krohn-Dehli is again harshly penalised for a challenge on Carvajal. Celta definitely haven’t got the run of the decisions tonight. The rejection of that penalty claim when the score just before the hour mark is looking costly for the home side. 9.33pm BST21:33 74 min: Celta’s final change: Hernandez replaces Mina. Looks like damage limitation from Celta, they’ve taken off two of their best players tonight! 9.31pm BST21:31 72 min: More subs, as Larrivey is replaced by Charles, which is presumably to protect the former, whose head wound is STILL bleeding. Pepe, meanwhile comes on for… Hernandez! So the Mexican won’t get his hat-trick, but he’s a real team player and smiles as he jogs up the pitch, before lapping up the high-fives on the bench. Real now playing five at the back. 9.29pm BST21:29 70 min: Celta make their first change: Orellana coming off for Bongonda. That’s surprising to me, the Chilean has arguably been Celta’s best player! “Celta/RM: slightly more interesting than Arsenal/Chelsea” suggests Mark Turner. Erm, yep. 9.28pm BST21:28 Celta have magnificent going forward tonight, but shocking at the back. Ramos is allowed to walk the ball out of defence, and entering Celta half, he has time to pick his pass with the outside of his foot, deliciously lifting it into the path of Hernandez, who takes one touch and calmly finishes past Sergio with a sidefoot shot. Game over? Updated at 10.05pm BST 9.26pm BST21:26 GOAL! Celta Vigo 2-4 Real Madrid (Hernandez 69) It’s that man again! 9.25pm BST21:25 66 min: For the first time in the match, Real seem to have found a decent defensive shape, with Isco playing a little deeper, and Rodriguez tucking in on the right. They need it too, they’ve had just 45% possession so far! 9.23pm BST21:23 64 min: Larrivey is having his head wound cleaned yet again. Celta are a man light, but continue to attack, winning a throw in high up the pitch. 9.22pm BST21:22 62 min: Chance for Hernandez! Real are sitting back, which is causing them problems, but they continue to look dangerous in hitting Celta on the break: Ronaldo sprints down the right, lays the ball across the box to Hernandez but the Mexican misses at the far post. The pass from Ronaldo was probably a little heavy in truth, but Hernandez still should have done better with his left foot, or taken a touch back onto his right. 9.19pm BST21:19 59 min: Nolito is continuing his roasting of Carvajal, stepping over the ball, leaving the right-back for dead and coasting into the area. Illarramendi slides in to cover, but he can only clear for a corner. It’s whipped into the six-yard box, pinballs off various heels and knees, and somehow is cleared. Real are living very dangerously here, they desperately need to make a tactical change. 9.17pm BST21:17 57 min: Surely a penalty for Celta! Oh, that’s as clearcut as you’re ever likely to see: Kroos clattering into Orellana from behind. How the referee doesn’t give that is beyond me. 9.16pm BST21:16 54 min: This is end to end stuff, the tempo of this game is relentless. Both Celta and Real are attacking with little regard for their respective defences. Hernandez holds the ball up well and slips it to Kroos who sprays a trademark diagonal to Ronaldo. Cristiano turns on the burners, and races to within shooting range before unleashing… it’s blocked by Cabral (with his arm?!) and the ball breaks to Isco. Sergio is out of his goal but he’s able to shepherd Isco away from goal, and the Real move fizzles out! 9.12pm BST21:12 52 min: This is all Celta! Real haven’t got going yet, and they’re being constantly outbattled in the middle of the pitch. Orellana makes another break and shoots from the edge of the box, but it’s easy for Casillas. Casillas pumps it long as he tries to find Hernandez on the break, but Jonny pulls him down cynically. Booked. 9.10pm BST21:10 50 min: Krohn-Dehli looks to have picked the pocket of Kroos to set up yet another Celta attack but the Danish midfielder is pulled back for a foul. It’s probably the wrong decision by the referee, and Orellana lets him know about it in no uncertain terms. Yellow card for dissent. 9.08pm BST21:08 49 min: Mina tries his luck with a crafty lob after racing through. Varane was catching the Celta man who took his shot early but it sailed wide. It was an ambitious effort from the youngster, Mina is just 19 remember! Updated at 9.33pm BST 9.06pm BST21:06 47 min: Carvajal has had a torrid game, Orellana is the latest to sail past the Real right-back, cutting in from the left. The Chilean tries the same trick on Ramos but it doesn’t work and the ball breaks to Augusto. Augusto could shoot, but he shifts it right to Mallo who tries his luck from a narrow angle, but the ball flies over the bar. Good start from Celta, they’ve lost none of their attacking verve from the first half. But can they tighten it up at the back? 9.02pm BST21:02 Peeep! We’re off again! Neither side makes any substitutions. Updated at 9.06pm BST 8.59pm BST20:59 This was the flick that Isco produced to release Ronaldo in the build up to Real’s third goal. Woof. Isco started it all with that pass. Wow! pic.twitter.com/asK9LeHLcP “I’ve seen Isco on three occasions at the UEFA Euro U-21s two years ago,” claims Philip Podolsky, “and, along with Thiago Alcantara, he made everybody else look clumsy amateurs. Like you said, he’s got that whole Baggio/Iniesta glide thing going on, plus he’s a supreme athlete and a deadly finisher. An all-time-great in the making IMO.” 8.50pm BST20:50 Half-time: Celta Vigo 2-3 Real Madrid A breathless first-half! 8.49pm BST20:49 45 min: One minute added on here. I’m surprised that there hasn’t been more time added just for the five goal celebrations we’ve had in this half! 8.48pm BST20:48 What a suckerpunch for Celta before half-time. They have played so well going forward but have looked overexposed at the back, Jonny in particular at left-back. Isco wins the ball on the half-way line, flicks it to Ronaldo who cuts inside, and with Celta caught up the pitch, Rodriguez is completely unmarked on Real’s right. The Colombian duly receives a pass to feet, cuts back inside on his favoured left and shoots. It’s on target, but a massive deflection takes is away from a helpless Sergio. There was nothing that the keeper could do! Real lead! Updated at 8.58pm BST 8.46pm BST20:46 GOAL! Celta Vigo 2-3 Real Madrid (Rodriguez 43) It will go down as Rodriguez’s goal, but this takes a huge deflection off Fontas! Updated at 9.00pm BST 8.45pm BST20:45 41 min: Ronaldo hits the post! Hernandez takes down a long ball with instant control and releases Ronaldo, who times his run to perfection to break clear of the defence. The pass is perhaps a little heavy, and Ronaldo is forced wide, but he sends his shot towards the far post. It hits it full and bounces out: Real do not get the same luck that Celta received earlier! 8.42pm BST20:42 39 min: Nolito is continuing to torment Carvajal on that left-hand side, turning the Real man inside in. Illarramendi gets back to give his teammate some support, but Nolito lays the ball back to Krohn-Dehli to shoot from range… excellent block from Ramos! The man knows no fear. Updated at 9.33pm BST 8.40pm BST20:40 36 min: Neither midfield has really stamped its authority on the game. Illarramendi has done a pretty poor job of protecting his back four. Orellana is being given the freedom of the field at present. He finds Larrivey again, whose first touch is little heavy, but he gets his shot off. Casillas saves easily. 8.37pm BST20:37 33 min: Blood is continuing to seep through Larrivey’s swimming cap and onto his light blue shirt, so there’s a small break in play so the striker can replace his jersey. 8.36pm BST20:36 30 min: Isco’s footwork … my word. I’ll admit this MBM is in danger of turning into a bit of a love in for the Spaniard, but you just have to marvel at his balance: caressing the ball with his instep and then rolling it round his markers with the sole of his boot. Majestic. Just look at isco's footwork pic.twitter.com/qjm9yMf7WA Updated at 8.52pm BST 8.34pm BST20:34 Real’s lead lasted just four minutes! The standard of defending in this match has been er, questionable, but we don’t mind: it’s raining goals! Real’s defence is unlocked with just one pass, splitting the defence and Mina races clear: he’s one-on-one with Casillas and squeezes a shot low, but it hits the post. Initially it looks as thought Marcelo is going to clean up the rebound but he’s thrown off balance, and Mina is there to tap home his own rebound. 2-2! Updated at 10.07pm BST 8.30pm BST20:30 GOAL! Celta Vigo 2-2 Real Madrid (Mina 28) It’s all going off in Vigo! 8.30pm BST20:30 He started the game brightly, and Hernandez has got his goal. Coming deep to collect the ball from Isco, he turns his man well, plays a one-two with Rodriguez and fires low under the onrushing Sergio. It was a narrow angle but he never looked like missing. His trademark smile flashes across his face. What a cutie. 8.27pm BST20:27 GOAL! Celta Vigo 1-2 Real Madrid (Hernandez 24) Chicharitooooo! Updated at 8.57pm BST 8.26pm BST20:26 22 min: Ooooo nasty clash of heads, as Ramos and Larrivey come together. It’s the Celta man who comes off worse, and he is forced to come off to receive treatment. He’s back on his feet though and returns to the field wearing a swimming cap in order to stem the flow of blood! Tom Daley eat your heart out. Larrivey of Celta Vigo is wearing a swimming cap against Real Madrid. Majestic. pic.twitter.com/AlLQ1TBj5r Updated at 8.32pm BST 8.24pm BST20:24 19 min: Hernandez is posing a real threat in behind. His pace is worrying Celta, who are dropping increasingly deeper. 8.23pm BST20:23 This is brilliant from Ronaldo. The Portuguese picks the ball up wide and dribbles to the byline as though his life depends on it. Celta’s defence can’t live with him, and he ghosts past Mallo before cutting the ball back across the face of goal. It is half-cleared, but the ball breaks kindly to Kroos on the edge of the area, and the German side-foots it into the corner! Ancelotti visibly looks relieved on the sideline! 8.18pm BST20:18 GOAL! Celta Vigo 1-1 Real Madrid (Kroos 15) And there it is! Updated at 8.58pm BST 8.18pm BST20:18 11 min: Can Real muster a response? John McEnerney certainly thinks so on the email. “Evening Michael, Real may make hard work of this one tonight but they should win. They’ll be on a high after avoiding FCB & Bayern in the CL, they’ve been showing flashes of the early season form recently that made them Winter Champions(pure malarkey). Carlo is out at the end of the season no matter what happens which is a shame, he’s one of the best around & has the trophies to prove it. He’d be better off kicking back for a while after Chelsea, PSG & Real you’d need a break from mad presidents/owners & players(Zlatan). He’d be nuts to take the MCFC job. The Italian FA might give him a call! Going back to AC wouldn’t be the worst idea he’d have a few years to get them back to a respectable level in European football jaysus they’ve gone to the dogs along with most of Serie A. Enjoy it.” Updated at 8.31pm BST 8.17pm BST20:17 Do we have an upset on the cards? Nolito picks the ball off Jonny, and drives into the area from the left flank. Carvajal is completely flat-footed as Nolito drives inside him, and his nifty footwork also avoids the backtracking Kroos and the advancing Ramos. One more touch to steady himself, and yes! His shot finds the bottom corner, just inside the near post. What a goal, beating three players! 8.12pm BST20:12 GOAL! Celta Vigo 1-0 Real Madrid (Nolito 9) It’s that man Nolito! What did we say?! 8.11pm BST20:11 7 min: Ronaldo races down the right. He shimmies left and then right and earns a cheap corner. Headed well away by Cabral. 8.10pm BST20:10 3 min: Real settling into their rhythm, controlling possession. Celta are pressing high up the pitch to good effect, with Isco and then Kroos barged off the ball. 8.06pm BST20:06 Peeep peeep! We’re off! 8.05pm BST20:05 Celta Vigo are in good form, and have won three and drawn one of their last five matches; their only defeat coming at home to Barcelona 1-0. Here come the teams! 7.46pm BST19:46 Keep your eye on Nolito tonight. He scored Celta’s winner last week at Eibar and has been a dangerous threat on the left flank all season, earning his first cap for Spain in November after inspiring Celta to victory at Barcelona. If you want to learn a bit more about the 28-year-old, you could do worse than read this from Sid Lowe: The first time Nolito got noticed was eight years ago when he was 20 and playing for tiny Second Division B side Écija. Écija drew with the galácticos in the Copa del Rey and he scored the goal. The following morning, the headline on the front cover of Marca ran: “Not Beckham, not Ronaldo, not Reyes, not Robinho: Golito de Nolito.” And there he was, standing by the local news stand, reading all about it. Everyone else was reading about him, too. By the end of the season, Nolito joined Barcelona. This weekend, he was at it again. Nolito’s golito, or little goal, had become a taconcito, or little backheel. Not that it was easy. That was back in 2006. Nolito admits that he was not really ready for the move to Barcelona – he was big for a start – and he has had to leave to return in triumph. His has not been a smooth progression. It has taken eight years to get here and he has not travelled the most direct route. Nolito is from Sanlúcar, in Cádiz in the south of Spain, where funny comes as standard and the cliche is of fantasy footballers, entertainers who are in it for the kicks. Listening to him talk, complete with whistling and jokes and giggling pottymouth, sprinkled with host bread and milk, it is hard not to like him. Watching him play on the left of a front three, his game sprinkled with touch and vision, speed and skill, it is hard not to like him, too. Nolito admits that structured football, the pressure of competition, was not always his thing and yet he has worked extremely hard to be where he is; there has been resistance as well as brilliance. “There was a concrete fútbol sala court below my flat,” he told El País. “I joined a team but where I most played was down there. That’s been lost a bit. I would play there until 10 o’clock at night when they came and dragged me home. My memories of it as a kid was that it was always full. Now there are mobiles and consoles and computers. I go home I see it empty and it makes me sad. I go and watch kids play now and I see parents shouting at them, and I think: ‘Leave your kid alone! You think he’s Maradona. They’re there to enjoy themselves. You’re demanding 20 goals and four overhead kicks from them.’” At 13, Nolito was working in a butchers’; at 16 he went to Valencia and back, not yet ready for the professional game; he joined third division Sanluqueño at 19 and at 20 he eclipsed Madrid’s galaxy with Écija, when he wasn’t even playing that often. Barcelona B came for him the following year and he shone with Luis Enrique but first-team opportunities were limited. He played only twice in 2010-11, even as he starred for Barcelona B. Pep Guardiola wanted him to stay, insisting he “completely deserves” an opportunity in the first team, while coaching staff said he was “a bullet”. But it changed little. “If I was 20, maybe, but I’m 24 now,” Nolito said. “I’m realistic: we have the best forwards in the world [ahead of me].” A season at Benfica followed, with 11 goals in 29 games, and then a loan at Granada; the risk of him heading backwards lingered. Luis Enrique then brought him to Celta and last season he was superb, scoring 14 times. And that was despite Luis Enrique leaving him out of the starting lineup during an eight-week chunk of the season – a decision that Nolito admits was absolutely right. Now he is under different management and it is still working; in fact, Berizzo’s variation on a similar style may suit him even better and playing alongside Larrivey, signed from Rayo, certainly does. “They’re different but don’t ask me how … I haven’t got a clue about management,” he says. Perhaps the surprise is that he is still there at all. In the summer, there was the chance to go to England; a huge contract was placed before him. “So why didn’t you?” Nolito was asked this during an interview on Al Primer Toque radio show last week. “Because it’s cold, it rains a lot and the food’s bad,” he replied. “Besides,” he added, “I’m happy here. Why would I change? I earn enough money. My family is poor [originally], I’m poor [originally], and I’m happy with what I’ve got. What do I need more for? Greed rips the bag.” Updated at 7.47pm BST 7.27pm BST19:27 Real manager Carlo Ancelotti talked about Isco and Hernandez in the pre-match press conference: It’s not normal when that frustration causes you to react poorly on the pitch though. It’s worrying if your frustration causes you to drop off in training. That hasn’t been the case with either Isco or Chicharito. It’s healthy for the squad to have players who are fighting for a place and working hard and diligently. Chicharito is a good example of that, he hasn’t played much but because of his professionalism he was ready when it mattered. The Italian confirmed that Hernandez’s future would be deciding in the summer. With Benzema out, this is another big chance for the Mexican to impress, following his heroics in midweek against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League. 7.22pm BST19:22 Team news: Celta Vigo 4-2-3-1: Sergio; Mallo, Cabral, Fontas, Jonny; Augusto, Krohn-Dehli; Orellana, Mina, Nolito; Larrivey. Subs: Ruben Blanco, Hernandez, Alex Lopez, Charles, Madinda, Bongonda, Sergi Gomez Real Madrid 4-3-3: Casillas, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Isco, Illarramendi; Rodriguez, Hernandez, Ronaldo. Subs: Navas, Pepe, Coentrao, Silva, Arbeloa, Nacho, Jese Referee: Perez Montero Updated at 8.55pm BST 7.00pm BST19:00 Preamble REAL MADRID ARE IN CRISIS! Not really, reader, but one gets the feeling that Madrid are one wrong result away from gifting the La Liga title to Barcelona. Should Real slip up at Celta Vigo tonight, you would expect Barcelona to become champions: the only remaining match that one would think the Catalan could drop points is at Atlético Madrid on 17 May. Should Real lose tonight, or even draw, Barcelona could afford to lose that match at Atléti and still win the title. Got that? Good. REAL MADRID ARE IN CRISIS! Not really, reader, but they do have injuries to a number of important players: Luka Modric is out for six weeks due to knee ligament strain, Gareth Bale is out with a calf problem sustained last week against Malaga, and Karim Benzema has nagging knee knack. That’s two third of BBC! Imagine just having C against the mighty Celta Vigo! Oh, wait… REAL MADRID ARE IN CRISIS! Not really, reader, but one of their best players this season, Isco, ain’t all that happy. “I am more than hurt, so I’m not very happy,” he said this week. See, told you. Having played out of his skin earlier this season, Isco has spent large portions of recent weeks on the bench, with Carlo Ancelotti preferring James Rodriguez in his three-man midfield alongside Toni Kroos and Modric. Thing is, Isco is quite good at football, something that the Real fans that watch him every week (until recently) seem to have figured out. In February, Iker Casillas called him “the most important player for the future of Spanish football.” He’s a bonafide fans (and my personal) favourite, and with good reason: one of those players that seems utterly in control of everything he does. He always seems to have time on the ball, a preposterously low centre of gravity, is two-footed, a languid velvet style that seems as though he is gliding (with a deceptive turn of pace) rather than running around the pitch. Chess Grandmasters often claim to be able to see dozens of moves ahead in their matches, and you get the sense Isco always already knows what he is going to do before the ball arrives at his feet, which seem to have the touch of a well-worn baseball glove lined with velcro. Aged just 23, he’s coming into his prime: Real would be fools to let someone of his ilk leave but they’ve done it before to players that are not considered galácticos, and given the right offer, they could do it again in the summer. Here’s to hoping they won’t. With the injury to Modric, Isco will start for Real tonight against Celta to make his 100th appearance for the club. Here’s hoping we catch a glimpse of some of the ISCO DISCO tonight… Kick off: 9pm in Vigo, 8pm in London Updated at 7.16pm BST |