A late strike from Federico Valverde secured a dramatic 2–1 victory for Real Madrid CF against RC Celta de Vigo in La Liga on Friday, keeping the Spanish giants within touching distance of the league leaders.
Valverde’s powerful drive in the 95th minute took a heavy deflection off Marcos Alonso before beating goalkeeper Ionut Radu, handing Madrid a vital win at Estadio de Balaídos in Vigo.
The victory moves Madrid to within one point of leaders FC Barcelona, who face Athletic Club on Saturday.
Madrid took the lead early when Aurélien Tchouaméni finished brilliantly from the edge of the box in the 11th minute after a well-worked corner routine.
However, Celta responded soon after. Defensive hesitation from Trent Alexander-Arnold allowed Williot Swedberg to break behind the defence and square the ball for Borja Iglesias, who calmly finished to level the match.
Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa had to cope with a lengthy injury list, including star striker Kylian Mbappé, as well as Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Eduardo Camavinga.
The Spanish side had also lost their previous two league matches, increasing pressure ahead of their upcoming UEFA Champions League last-16 clash with Manchester City F.C. next week.
Despite the challenges, Arbeloa praised his depleted squad for their determination.
“There’s still a long way to go in La Liga, with many points left to play for,” he said.
“At this stage it almost feels like the league has not truly started yet. Every match is a battle.”
He added:
“We came here with 10 players unavailable, so I think this victory deserves a lot of credit.”
Both teams had chances in the second half. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois produced key saves to keep Madrid in the match, while Celta substitute Iago Aspas struck the post late on.
It appeared the hosts would secure a point until Valverde’s last-gasp effort deflected past Radu to snatch victory.
Iglesias admitted the defeat was difficult to accept.
“We hardly gave away any chances and defended the final shot well, so it’s frustrating to lose like that,” he said.
Arbeloa hopes the hard-fought win can mark a turning point for his side.
“I know we can do many things better, but with the personality and character we showed today, I hope this can be a turning point for us.”
