LaLiga champions Real Madrid maintained their winning start to the season with a 4-1 thrashing of Celta Vigo on Saturday evening.
Result: Celta Vigo 1-4 Real Madrid
Date: 20 August 2022
Venue: Abanca-Balaídos
Los Blancos made four changes from the side that beat Almeria, as Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and David Alaba formed a new back-line alongside Ferland Mendy and Luka Modric replaced Toni Kroos in midfield.
Madrid were on the front foot in the early stages and were awarded a penalty on 12 minutes by a Video Assistant Referee Referee (VAR) for a handball by Renato Tapia in the box.
Karim Benzema made no mistake from the spot-kick as he sent goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin the wrong way with a composed finish.
Celta also took the game to the visitors and also got a penalty midway through the first stanza from a similar circumstance as Militao was the guilty party of the handball and shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois could not parry away a thumping shot by Iago Aspas, who equalised for the Galacian side.
The game opened up and Modric restored the lead for Carlo Ancelotti's charges just before the half-time break with a sensational curling strike into the top corner after cutting inside from a pass by Alaba.
Madrid waited for the right moments to attack early in the second stanza and opened a two-goal cushion four minutes before the hour-mark from a counter-attack after Vinicius Junior went clear on goal from Modric's pass, rounded Marchesin and scored into an empty net.
Ancelotti's men continued to draw Celta out of their own half as they profited from another counter-attack on 66 minutes that saw Vinicius Junior turn into a provider with a defence splitting pass across the penalty area that was finished first-time by Federico Valverde.
Madrid were comfortable in the closing stages and they made a double change as Modric made way for Daniel Ceballos for fresh legs and Lucas Vazquez replaced Alaba in a tactical and attacking move.
Eden Hazard was also given a run in the last ten minutes in place of Vinicius Junior and the Belgian had a chance to add a fifth goal in the dying minutes from the penalty spot after Benzema was brought down in the box by Hugo Mallo but his spot-kick was saved by Marchesin, as the encounter ended 4-1 to Ancelotti's charges.
