Real Madrid vs Celtic | Real Madrid rebounded from their first setback of the year against RB Leipzig last week by defeating Celtic 5-1 at home on Wednesday to finish first in their Champions League group.
With goals from Federico Valverde, Luka Modric, Rodrygo, Marco Asensio, Vinicius Junior, and the first two from the penalty spot, the hosts won Group F with 13 points, one more than Leipzig in second place. Both teams made it through to the round of 16.
Celtic earned two points and came in last.
Real Madrid vs Celtic | To win again, which was crucial, and to win the group, Rodrygo said, “We needed a game like that, with a lot of goals.”
“After playing a lot of games over the previous month, we just have two more games remaining. Today, we prevailed 5-1, although it wasn’t easy. It’s exhausting to play so many games, and then there’s the World Cup. It’s a busy schedule, but we must continue.”
Karim Benzema, the Ballon d’Or winner, was out due to a muscular ailment, but Asensio had a chance to redeem himself by sparking waves of Real Madrid raids in the first half.
Following handballs by Celtic defenders, Modric and Rodrygo scored early goals from the penalty spot, while Asensio was instrumental in the buildups. He made a great pass to find Rodrygo five minutes into the game, and the Brazilian’s angled drive thundered off the post.
A defender’s hand diverted Valverde’s shot from the rebound, and Modric converted the penalty after sending the goalie the wrong way. After 18 minutes, Madrid was given another penalty, which Rodrygo calmly converted after a VAR review.
After the interval, Asensio added to Real’s advantage with a wonderful volley off a cross from Dani Carvajal, and ten minutes later, Valverde made a terrific move down the right and passed for Vinicius to score from close range.
With what has become his signature, an unstoppable long-range shot into the top corner, Valverde added the fifth goal.
Valverde scored his sixth goal outside of the penalty area this season in all competitions, more than any other player from one of the top five leagues in Europe.
