Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in their La Liga clash on Sunday, March 10, with Arda Guler scoring his first goal for the club.
Los Blancos came into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg at home. While they progressed to the quarter-finals after winning 2-1 on aggregate, it wasn’t a convincing performance from them.
However, they turned up brilliantly against Celta Vigo despite missing Jude Bellingham due to suspension. Vinicius Jr. scored in the 21st minute after the ball broke to him after a corner. Vicente Guaita then scored an unfortunate own goal in the 79th minute, again from a corner.
A Carlo Dominguez’s own goal in the 88th minute made it 3-0 before Arda Guler scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
It was Guler’s first goal for Real Madrid, having joined them from Fenerbahce for €20 million last summer. The 19-year-old has played just 93 minutes for the club so far across six appearances, having also suffered from multiple injury issues.
However, he did well against Celta Vigo as he received the ball in the box, rounded the goalkeeper and scored from a tight angle.
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Carlo Ancelotti heaps praise on Arda Guler after Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo
Arda Guler had multiple injury issues as soon as he joined the club. He’s recovered well but still found regular opportunities hard to come by. Many have even criticized Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti for the same.
However, after Guler scored his first goal for Los Blancos on Sunday, Ancelotti heaped praise on the Turkish prodigy, saying (via Managing Madrid):
“He played very little, just a few minutes, but he was convinced that he could do something. That completion was not easy. He is a great talent and we see him every day, we talk to him a lot. He is showing all the quality of him. He will have a future here. Nobody thinks that he has no future here. He is a great talent.”
“He is going to have, in the future, I’m not saying tomorrow, more minutes. In the goal he scored, he made a fantastic dribble and a fantastic finish. This goal is important for him, as it is for us to have a great player.”
With the win, Real Madrid maintained a seven-point gap from Girona at the top of the table. They will next face Osasuna away on Saturday, March 16.