Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Celta Vigo: Comedy of Errors Spells Crisis

Real Madrid suffered a dismal 2–0 defeat to Celta Vigo in their grand return to the Bernabéu on Sunday.

The Spanish giants were held scoreless for just the third time this season in what wound up being a disaster of a night. In addition to collecting zero points, Éder Militão suffered a seemingly long-term hamstring injury and Fran García and Álvaro Carreras were sent off.

Los Blancos have now won just two matches in their last seven across all competitions, and trail Barcelona by four points in the La Liga standings.

Real Madrid will need to bounce back fast if they want to avoid another embarrassment. The 15-time European champions host Manchester City on Wednesday night in a marquee Champions League bout.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Celta Vigo (4-4-2)

Vinicius Junior has not scored for Real Madrid in 11 games. | Diego Souto/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois—6.6: Always doomed to fail with such a makeshift defense playing in front of him, especially when two were sent off.

RB: Raúl Asencio—6.4: Tried to do his best Trent Alexander-Arnold possession and failed. Asencio was selfish on the ball in the final third and failed effectively link up with Valverde.

CB: Éder Militão—6.9: Made a brilliant recovery run to deny Celta Vigo on the counter attack and paid the price with yet another injury.

CB: Álvaro Carreras—6.5: The only defender to put forth a redeemable performance, and he spoiled it with a ridiculous red card in stoppage time.

LB: Fran García—5.3: Needlessly saw red in an unacceptable outing that will have Alonso and Madridistas questioning his future in a white shirt.

RM: Federico Valverde—7.6: Tidy in possession and lively on the right. Valverde lacks leadership, though, when Real Madrid need him most.

CM: Arda Güler—7.0: At the center of Real Madrid’s most dangerous chances, but lacked the final product. Güler’s place in Alonso’s XI will be under question.

CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—8.4: A bit lost without the additional security of Eduardo Camavinga, but filled in admirably at center back in the latter stages of the match.

LM: Jude Bellingham—6.4: Forced to help García defend on the left flank, limiting the England international’s contributions in the attack.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—6.6: Created the most chances on the night, but will only be remembered for his disastrous miss that could have salvaged a point.

ST: Vinicius Junior—6.7: Got nothing going. The Brazilian looked predictable on the ball and lacked imagination beyond a few intriguing runs.

Substitute	Rating (Out of 10)
Antonio Rüdiger (24’ for Militão)	6.6
Rodrygo (55’ for Asencio)	6.1
Gonzalo García (74’ for Güler)	6.2

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Joan Martínez, Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga, Brahim Díaz, Endrick, Franco Mastantuono.

Celta Vigo (3-4-3)

Starting XI: Ionuț Radu; Javi Rodríguez, Carl Starfelt, Marcos Alonso; Sergio Carreira, Ilaix Moriba, Miguel Román, Óscar Mingueza; Pablo Durán, Borja Iglesias, Bryan Zaragoza.

Subs used: Williot Swedberg, Javi Rueda, Ferran Jutglà, Fran Beltrán, Iago Aspas.

Player of the Match: Ionuț Radu (Celta Vigo)

Real Madrid Player of the Match: Aurélien Tchouaméni

Real Madrid 0–2 Celta Vigo—How It Unfolded at the Bernabéu

Xabi Alonso could only watch as his team dropped points yet again. | Denis Doyle/Getty Images

After carving Athletic Club on Wednesday evening, Real Madrid came into this weekend’s clash with Celta Vigo brimming with confidence. Yet it became very clear very early on that Alonso's men were not in for a repeat performance.

The Spanish giants allowed the visitors to enjoy prolonged spells of possession, relying on their makeshift backline and the offside flag to intervene when necessary. The team’s lackadaisical nature might not have resulted in a goal for Celta Vigo, but it did force Militão to play hero with a brilliant recovery run to deny Pablo Durán a dangerous shot on the counter attack.

The Brazil international immediately went down with an injury and needed to be helped off the pitch by two members of Real Madrid’s medical staff. Antonio Rüdiger replaced Militão in the 24th minute as the packed crowd at the Bernabéu silently watched yet another defender on his way to the infirmary.

Éder Militão (center) only lasted 24 minutes against Celta Vigo. | Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Frustration began to mount inside the Spanish capital as the clock ticked toward halftime. Alonso’s men settled for shots from distance that had no chance of testing goalkeeper Ionuț Radu before they strung together a few half-decent chances.

The hosts’ best look at goal came in the 38th minute. Vinicius Junior made a vintage run down the left flank, beating two defenders along the way, before picking out Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman then found Arda Güler in acres of space near the penalty spot, but the 20-year-old pulled his shot wide.

Real Madrid’s first-half woes continued in the second. Alonso’s men carelessly allowed Celta Vigo to hang onto the ball in the midfield and then in the blink of an eye, they were trailing 1–0. Raúl Asencio failed to close down Bryan Zaragoza, who then sent in a low ball for Williot Swedberg to flick into the back of the net.

Whistles began to ring down out at the Bernabéu, and not just for conceding. Los Blancos seemingly showed no interest in chasing after the ball or instigating any sort of press. Things went from bad to worse when Fran García picked up two yellow cards within 60 seconds and was sent packing in the 64th minute.

Fran García (center) left Real Madrid with 10 men in the second half. | Angel Martinez/Getty Images

Mbappé nearly willed his undermanned team back into the game in the 73rd minute. The France international was through on goal and had Radu completely beat, yet he sent his chipped shot over the crossbar. The 26-year-old pulled his shirt over his head in disbelief.

The game further devolved in stoppage time for Real Madrid. Álvaro Carreras was sent off for dissent, leaving his side with nine men. It came as no surprise when Swedberg bagged his brace only moments later, securing all three points for Celta Vigo.