10.03.2013 » Celta 1-2 Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't slow down

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Real Madrid got past Celta de Vigo this Sunday night, after pulling off a 1-2 win at the Balaídos stadium. Cristiano Ronaldo scored another brace for the Merengues, which allowed himself to reach his 19th goal in the 2013 calendar year and his 42th of the season. With this victory, Real Madrid finally gets ahead of Atletico Madrid in their particular fight for the second place in La Liga.

Real Madrid sealed their six straight win this weekend, in a visit to the Balaídos to face Celta de Vigo, where the Merengues came off with a tough 1-2 victory. José Mourinho rotated several players that had played in mid week against Manchester United, but didn't spare his most influential player, Cristiano Ronaldo. It was precisely the Portuguese superstar who made all the difference in the second half, scoring the opener in the 61th minute of the game, and after a quick equaliser from Iago Aspas, he would end restoring the lead to his side from the penalty spot. With Atletico Madrid dropping points this Sunday night, Real Madrid seized this opportunity to get to the second place in La Liga, with still 11 matches left to be played.

Cristiano Ronaldo photos in Celta de Vigo vs Real Madrid
Celta de Vigo 1-2 Real Madrid goals and highlights:

It has been with the exact same result earned against Manchester United last Tuesday (1-2), that the Merengues defeated Celta de Vigo in a fixture counting for La Liga and are now second in La Liga. Real Madrid had lost 2-1 on this same stadium not too long ago, in that Copa del Rey 1st leg of the last-16 round, played on the 12th of December of 2012. Roughly three months later, the final result was reversed and José Mourinho walked off the Balaídos with a victory that has finally put his side ahead of Atletico Madrid in the Spanish League standings.

The first half ended goalless, despite several good chances for both teams to get the lead. The opener would arrive only after the break, shortly after the first quarter of an hour was gone. Real Madrid earned a corner kick on the left, which has been taken by Mesut Ozil as it normal to happen when the German midfielder is on the pitch. His cross would be poorly cleared away by Celta's goalkeeper, Javi Varas, allowing Xabi Alonso to get a rebound shot opportunity just in front of the penalty box. Xabi's strike ended up hitting Cristiano Ronaldo, who was then quick to react and striked it again, this time into an empty net. The Merengues were on the lead, but Celta de Vigo was far from giving up in this game...

Just two minutes after Ronaldo's goal, the home side would tie things up at one goal apiece. Real Madrid's defence was caught distracted in a throw-in on Celta's right attacking side, and after a low cross was sent in, Iago Aspas controlled the ball and fired it back as he turned around while Pepe stood passively near him. The shot would still deflect on Pepe's legs, tricking Diego López as it went past the Spanish goalkeeper. After analyzing this play, Mourinho will surely have a lot to talk with his players, since leaving an opponent player completely unmarked in a throw-in action is simply unnacceptable for Real Madrid's standards.

José Mourinho responded quickly and changed a couple of players on his side just a couple minutes later, as he replaced Benzema and Callejón for Higuaín and Kaká. In the 71th minute, his decision seems to have paid off, and Xabi Alonso's great pass to Kaká allowed for the Brazilian to dribble Celta's goalkeeper, just before he got tripped inside the box. The referee didn't hesitate in pointing to the mark and Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to convert it and put Real Madrid on the lead for the second time on the night. It's Ronaldo 7th goal from the penalty spot this season, as he keeps a perfect 100% record so far.

The game would open up in the final minutes, but both sides' wasted their chances to still change the scoreboard and the match would end with Real Madrid's 1-2 victory. The Merengues will now rest for a few days as their next fixture is only scheduled for next Saturday, in another La Liga fixture against Mallorca, at the Santiago Bernabéu. In the meanwhile, we can all sit back and relax, as we'll see who joins Real Madrid and moves forward to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, in this Tuesday and Wednesday second leg matches.

Real Madrid line-up vs Celta de Vigo:

Goalkeeper: Diego López
Defenders: Marcelo, Pepe, Raul Albiol, Essien
Midfielders: Khedira, Modric, Ozil
Attackers: Callejón, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema

Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Real Madrid will be against Mallorca, on March 16, 2013, for the Spanish League. You can watch Juventus live stream, Real Madrid vs Mallorca, Barcelona vs Milan, Bayern Munich vs Arsenal and Schalke vs Galatasaray, all matches provided from our football streaming section.

Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Mallorca kick-off time (16-03-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+8: 02:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 20:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 19:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-1: 17:00
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 14:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 11:00
Beijing (China) | GMT-7: 11:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com / yahoo.com / thesundaytimes.co.uk

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