Real Madrid player Federico Valverde. (AP Photo/Lalo R. Villar)
Federico Valverde’s powerful volley in the 95th minute clinched an injury-plagued Real Madrid 2-1 victory over host Celta Vigo in the Spanish Premier League on Friday.The Uruguayan midfielder needed a stroke of luck at the death to put his team one point away from leaders Barcelona, who are visiting Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.Aurelien Chouamini opened the scoring for Los Blancos early on but Borja Iglesias quickly equalized for Celta at the Balaidos Stadium.Alvaro Arbeloa’s Real Madrid, without injured striker Kylian Mbappe, has lost its previous two league matches and is struggling to find consistency.Valverde’s shot, which hit Celta’s net after colliding with former Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso, stopped his team from playing three consecutive matches in the Spanish League without achieving any victory.
Arbeloa told reporters: “There is still a long way to go in the Spanish League. There are a lot of points left to play for. At this stage it feels as if the Spanish League has not started yet.”“Every game you play against a team that has its own goals and every game will be a war.“We came here with ten men, so I think our victory deserves a lot of credit.”In addition to French star Mbappe, the team’s top scorer, Arbeloa missed several other players, including Jude Bellingham, Rodrigo Goes and Eduardo Camavinga.
Despite the win, Real Madrid’s form and injury list do not inspire confidence ahead of next week’s Champions League round of 16 match against Manchester City.Arbeloa played 18-year-old midfielder Thiago Petarch for the first time and he performed well even as his team failed to perform well.Iglesias forced Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to save a low shot from the edge of the penalty area in the opening exchanges.Arbeloa’s side started well and Vinicius Junior hit the post before Chouamini put them ahead in the 11th minute.The French midfielder produced a stunning shot from the edge of the penalty area as Real Madrid passed him a corner kick, and his shot hit the post on its way into the goal.However, Celta were not discouraged and some poor defending from Trent Alexander-Arnold allowed them to come back.The England international allowed Williot Swedberg to get in behind him and then lacked the agility to clear the Swede who cut the ball back for Iglesias to score.Hard-fought winCourtois made a good save from Swedberg’s shot before half-time, with sixth-placed Celta giving their best shot.Real Madrid called for a penalty kick when Ferran Gutgla touched the ball with his hand inside the penalty area, but a review by the Video Assistant Referee showed that there was pressure on the Celta defender immediately before that, and a penalty kick was not awarded.Celta’s substitute Iago Aspas hit the post late on and it looked like his side were headed for a point as time ticked down.But in the final minute of stoppage time, Valverde’s shot from the edge of the penalty area deflected off Alonso and left Celta goalkeeper Ionut Radu in the wrong position.“We almost didn’t miss any chances, and the shot was well defended at the end, so we’re a bit upset (to lose),” Iglesias told Movistar.Arbeloa said he hopes Real Madrid’s determination to win the three points will provide a platform to build on moving forward.“I know we can do a lot of things better, but with the character and character we showed today, I hope this will be a turning point and from here everything becomes much better,” Arbeloa added.
