Celta Vigo Shock Real Madrid in a Chaotic Night at the Bernabeu
So let me walk you through what turned into one of the most astonishing nights at the Santiago Bernabeu — a match where Real Madrid, of all teams, completely lost their composure and ended up being stunned 2–0 by Celta Vigo. And yes, the home side finished with just nine players on the pitch. It was that kind of night.
The story really belongs to Williot Swedberg, the Swedish substitute who came on and changed everything. His first goal came in the 53rd minute, and it was pure audacity — a clever heel flick that redirected Bryan Zaragoza’s cross past Thibaut Courtois before the Madrid defence even knew what happened. The stadium went silent for a moment, almost trying to process what they had just seen. And then, deep into stoppage time, Swedberg struck again, calmly rounding Courtois and rolling the ball into the net to seal the upset.
Before all that drama unfolded, Real Madrid had their moments, but they were never in full control. Celta Vigo’s goalkeeper, Ionut Radu, was absolutely outstanding. In the first half alone, he denied a solid Jude Bellingham header, pushed away a long-range strike from Arda Guler, and later blocked a sharp run from Vinicius Junior after Tchouameni slipped him through. Every time Madrid looked close to breaking through, Radu appeared in the way.
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Celta came to defend deep, set up in a low block, and they executed it perfectly. Mbappé and Vinicius were almost always swarmed, Bellingham took a nasty cut to his face after a clash with Borja Iglesias, and frustration slowly crept into every facet of Madrid’s play. Their best early chance? Guler turning sharply and firing wide after Mbappé teed him up — and that pretty much summed up Madrid’s night.
Then came the collapse. Fran Garcia picked up two yellows in less than a minute — the second for a clumsy foul on Swedberg — leaving Madrid with 10 men. Even then, Mbappé nearly produced an equaliser, lifting a lob over Radu but landing it on the roof of the net. Gonzalo Garcia came close too, but nothing would fall their way. And as if one red card wasn’t enough, Álvaro Carreras was sent off in stoppage time for dissent, completely losing his cool as Madrid’s frustrations boiled over.
With Madrid down to nine players, Celta simply took advantage. Swedberg finished the job, and suddenly Madrid’s perfect home record was gone, the gap to Barcelona stayed at four points, and the fans were left stunned.
After the match, Borja Iglesias praised his side’s defensive resilience, calling the final minutes “strange” — which feels like an understatement. On the opposite side, Xabi Alonso couldn’t hide his disappointment. He criticised his team’s intensity, said they worked harder with 10 men than with 11, and he did not hold back on the referee either, claiming the officiating “drove us crazy.”
In the end, it was a nightmare evening for Real Madrid and a massive statement win for Celta Vigo, who climbed into the top half of the table. And with Manchester City looming in the Champions League midweek, Alonso’s team suddenly have a lot of questions to answer.
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