Two yellow cards in two consecutive plays, just one minute and 13 seconds apart, left Real Madrid with ten men as they fought to come back. With a player less, Xabi Alonso's team played more on pride than with the football that was missing for the entire match. Meanwhile, Celta de Vigo held firm in their five-man defense, took a breath with Borja Iglesias, and resisted the attacks of a Real Madrid that only had two goal-scoring chances. Mbappé, who had little impact on the game, ended his seven-goal streak in three matches by missing the target completely after a chip shot on Radu in the 77th minute, and ten minutes later, Gonzalo García headed the ball wide of the far post. However, Williot Swedberg sealed Celta's victory in the 93rd minute. Real Madrid was beaten, with Álvaro Carreras having been sent off just moments before for protesting referee Alejandro Quintero González after receiving two consecutive yellow cards. Celta de Vigo secured their victory at the Bernabéu (0-2) to reach 19 points, while Real Madrid extended their poor run of form, with only six points from a possible 15, making Barcelona a more dominant league leader with a four-point advantage.
At halftime, the score was 0-0, leaving the 'Merengue' side needing to step up to avoid losing ground to Barcelona in the title race. However, it was Celta de Vigo who found the net. The clearest chance came in the 37th minute when a Celta player shot from the edge of the penalty area but, losing his balance, sent the ball wide of Radu's goal. The Romanian goalkeeper successfully dealt with Real Madrid's threats until the break.
After three consecutive away league draws that cost them the lead, and a win against Athletic Club, Real Madrid stumbled again this Sunday with a 0-2 loss to Celta de Vigo, their first game at the Bernabéu in 36 days. The efficiency Real Madrid showed four days earlier in San Mamés (0-3), breaking a three-game league draw streak, was a distant memory.
Swedish forward Williot Swedberg, who came on at halftime for Pablo Durán, signed a goal of class, finishing with a heel-flick from a Bryan Zaragoza cross in the 54th minute. A combined Celta play unraveled the Real Madrid defense inside the box. Real Madrid was again stuck, this time at home in the Bernabéu.
Arda Güler had three chances in the first half without success. Fran García reflected the team's frustration, making things even more difficult. Tchouaméni sent a long ball to Vinícius to get behind the defense, which he did, but his shot was forced, and the Romanian goalkeeper saved the one-on-one. A similar scenario, but with different protagonists, was seen in Celta's clearest chance five minutes earlier, in the 41st minute.
