Although Real Madrid has won two championship trophies since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, the dominance of the "Galactic Battleship" has visibly declined. In the Spanish Super Cup final in the middle of the week, Real Madrid suffered a humiliating 2-5 defeat at the hands of their arch-rival Barcelona, which also plunged Carlo Ancelotti into a crisis of trust.
After a few days of rest and recuperation, Real Madrid faced another test on this match day, hosting Celta Vigo in the round of 16 of the King's Cup at the Bernabeu Stadium. The focus of the fans was whether the "Galactic Battleship" could quickly recover. In this match, Mbappe created two goals on his own, with both sides drawing 2-2 in regular time. In extra time, Endrick scored twice and Valverde scored a stunning world-class goal, helping Real Madrid advance with a 5-2 victory.
In the last 17 encounters between the two sides, Real Madrid has maintained an unbeaten record with 14 wins and 3 draws, giving them a clear psychological advantage. However, considering the tight schedule and another La Liga match in just two days, Ancelotti made some rotations in the lineup. In the 4-4-2 formation, Mbappe and Vinicius formed the double-pronged attack up front, while Modric, Diaz, Ceballos, and Chouameni, who performed poorly in the national derby, formed the midfield quartet. The backline consisted of Vazquez, Asensio, Rudiger, and Garcia, with Lunin guarding the goal.
After the start of the game, Real Madrid did not quickly take the initiative, as Celta's counterattacks were quite fierce. In the 6th minute, Alvarez took a tactical corner kick from the left and crossed it. Alonso nodded the ball back, and Staffelt headed it powerfully, hitting the crossbar before bouncing out, narrowly escaping disaster.
In the 14th minute, after breaking through, Vinicius passed the ball back, and Chouameni unleashed a powerful shot from 18 meters out, which was brilliantly saved by the Celta goalkeeper, who leapt to tip the ball over the crossbar. In the 30th minute, Modric delivered a fine pass, and Diaz turned and burst into the penalty area, blasting a shot from a tight angle that was blocked by Villar with his leg.
In the 37th minute, there was a controversial call on the field. Swiedberg appeared to have been brought down by Lunin, but the referee deemed it not a foul. Ceballos launched a counterattack with a long pass, and Mbappe charged into the penalty area alone, firing a powerful shot into the far corner to break the deadlock, making it 1-0 for Real Madrid!
During stoppage time, Chouameni intercepted the ball, and Mbappe directly passed in the counterattack, with Vinicius' low-angle shot being saved. Real Madrid entered the locker room with a one-goal lead. After the break, Ancelotti made no changes, and just three minutes into the second half, Mbappe initiated a counterattack. Diaz slipped a through ball into the penalty area, and Xiong Huang pounced to push the ball into the net, extending the lead to 2-0!
In the 57th minute, Modric played a direct pass into the penalty area, and Diaz crossed the ball, but Mbappe's close-range header went high. A minute later, the Celta goalkeeper made a passing error and was dispossessed, with Diaz delivering another fine pass. Vinicius had a clear chance but his lobbed shot was cleared off the line by Staffelt!
In the 77th minute, Mbappe sent another fine pass, and Vinicius unselfishly crossed the ball, with Guler pushing the ball into the net. Unfortunately, it was ruled offside and the goal was disallowed, keeping the score at 2-0. In the 83rd minute, Camavinga made a backfield passing error, and Duran unselfishly crossed the ball, with Bamba scoring to pull one back for Celta, making it 1-2!
In the 92nd minute, Real Madrid suffered another major blow as Asensio brought down Bamba in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty and yellow card decision by the referee. Alonso stepped up and converted the penalty, leveling the score at 2-2 and dragging Real Madrid into extra time.
In the 108th minute, Guler initiated an attack with a direct pass, and Endrick turned and fired a shot from the edge of the penalty area, which found the back of the net, putting Real Madrid back in the lead at 3-2! In the 112th minute, Guler's corner kick was cleared, and Chouameni returned the ball, with Valverde unleashing a stunning volley that flew into the top corner, effectively killing the suspense of the match and making it 4-2 for Real Madrid!
Valverde has scored 8 goals this season, with 7 of them coming from outside the penalty area, leading the top five leagues.
In the dying moments of the game, Endrick scored with a backheel, completing a brace, and the final score was set at 5-2! Ultimately, Real Madrid passed the test of extra time, eliminating Celta with a thrilling victory, securing their place in the quarterfinals of the King's Cup, and maintaining their hopes of winning the title.