Trending 
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to help Real Madrid secure a dramatic 3-2 victory over Celta Vigo on Sunday, keeping their La Liga title hopes alive and maintaining pressure on leaders Barcelona.
The win ensured Madrid remain four points behind Barcelona, who had narrowly defeated Valladolid a day earlier. With El Clasico on the horizon next weekend, the title race remains wide open.
Despite holding a comfortable 3-0 lead, Real were forced to hold on in the final minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu as seventh-placed Celta Vigo mounted a spirited comeback in their bid for European football qualification.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged the tense ending, pointing to the club’s depleted defence. “The match seemed wrapped up, but we suffered at the end. We’re missing six defenders and couldn’t handle it perfectly,” he said. “Still, it’s a great win.”
The victory comes after a disappointing run for Madrid, having been knocked out of the Champions League and beaten in the Copa del Rey final by Barcelona. However, they remain hopeful of reclaiming the league title from Hansi Flick’s resurgent Barça.
“We played a fantastic first half, but then things fell apart,” admitted midfielder Fede Valverde. “This has happened before and it shouldn’t. Celta are a quality side and we made it tough for ourselves.”
Madrid weathered early pressure from the visitors before taking charge, with young Turkish midfielder Arda Guler impressing in place of the absent Rodrygo. Guler was lively from the start, narrowly missing with an overhead attempt before playing a key role in the team’s attacking rhythm.
He broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute, curling a brilliant finish past Vicente Guaita after finding space inside the area. Mbappe added a second six minutes later, racing onto a pass from Jude Bellingham and firing a powerful shot home.
Shortly after the break, Mbappe struck again for his 24th league goal of the season—just one behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski in the scoring charts. The French forward was set up beautifully by Guler and calmly slotted the ball into the net.
However, the match took a dramatic turn when Celta pulled one back through Javier Rodriguez after a controversial corner. Rodriguez reacted quickest after a goal-line block to fire home. Substitute Iago Aspas injected further life into Celta’s attack, providing a clever assist for Williot Swedberg to slot in their second goal.
Celta nearly found an equaliser when Pablo Duran’s effort slipped through Courtois’ grasp but stopped just before crossing the line.
Had Madrid dropped points, Barcelona could have clinched the title with a win in next weekend’s Clasico. “It’s the game of the year for us—our last chance to win La Liga,” Valverde said. “We’ll give it everything.”
In other matches, Real Betis kept their Champions League hopes alive with a dramatic 2-1 win at Espanyol, capped by a stoppage-time winner from Antony. They now sit just a point behind fifth-placed Villarreal. Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad played out a goalless draw in the Basque derby.
