La Liga: Real Madrid lose 2-0 to Celta Vigo
Real Madrid had two players sent off in its 2-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo on Sunday and lost more ground to Spanish league leader Barcelona. Madrid conceded early in the second half and then saw red cards for Fran García and Álvaro Carreras in its first defeat of the season at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in all competitions. Unused Madrid substitute Endrick also was shown a red card for complaining. Williot Swedberg scored for the visitors with a nice flick from near the penalty spot in the 54th.
Madrid lost García with a second yellow card in the 64th and Carreras in stoppage time. Swedberg sealed Celta’s victory in a breakaway shortly after Madrid was reduced to nine players. “We are all upset. It wasn’t the game or the result that we wanted,” Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said. “The referee’s decisions threw us off balance. I didn’t like the refereeing.” Madrid has won only two of its last seven matches across all tournaments. It next hosts Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Madrid’s only other league loss this season was a heavy defeat at Atletico Madrid in September. It also lost at Liverpool in the league phase of the Champions League in November. Sunday’s setback left Alonso’s team four points behind Barcelona. The Catalan club won 5-3 at Real Betis on Saturday. Madrid is only one point ahead of third-placed Villarreal, which has a game in hand.
Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé both had good chances to equalize for Madrid but couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities. Madrid defender Éder Militão had to leave the game in the first half because of an injury. Celta moved to 10th place with its second win in three league games. Goalkeeping mistakes Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga had an afternoon to forget in Girona’s 3-0 loss to Elche at home.
The Argentine goalkeeper’s mistakes led to two Elche goals, including one after he passed the ball straight to an opponent inside the area while trying to send it to a defender. Earlier, he had failed to make a routine save on an angled shot by the near post. Gazzaniga also had a nightmare game in Girona’s opening league match, when his blunders led to a goal and a penalty and his ejection in a 3-1 loss to Rayo Vallecano.
Girona, sitting inside the relegation zone in 18th place, has only one win in its last six games in all competitions. Elche, which hadn’t won in seven consecutive league games, moved to ninth place. Espanyol wins again Roberto Fernández converted a first-half penalty kick as fifth-placed Espanyol beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 for its third straight league win.
Rayo, which is 12th, played with 10 men from the 64th because of a red card for Unai López. Espanyol’s Tyrhys Dolan was sent off in the 87th. Rayo hasn’t won in five consecutive league games. Late equalizer for Valencia Hugo Duro scored three minutes into stoppage time as 15th-placed Valencia drew with 13th-placed Sevilla 1-1 at home. Sevilla, winless in three straight league games, went ahead with an own-goal by César Tárrega in the 58th.
