Full Time: Celta De Vigo 2 - 4 Real Madrid

• That's all from me, I've been Keeghann Sinanan and it's been fun.
• The referee ends matters at the Balaidos, and Real Madrid have clinched a vital win here to keep the pressure on Barcelona. Two points is all that separates the rivals again, with five games left in the season. This is going to go down to the wire. Celta, meanwhile, probably see their outside hopes at Europa League football end, with a double-digit points deficit to Villarreal in sixth.
• 90' + 1'

  A scuffle here as both sets of players come together. Kroos went in late on Bongonda, but I'm still no sure what really set off that tussle. The German is down on the deck, but the Madrid players are more interested in arguing with the referee, who eventually issues yellow cards to Krohn-Dehli and Carvajal for their apparent ringl-eading roles in the quarrel.
• 90'

  Yellow Card Daniel Carvajal
• 90'

  Yellow Card Michael Krohn-Dehli
• 89'

  Nolito does well to make space for himself down the left flank, and he hooks a cross towards Charles at the back post. The substitute needs two touches to just about bring it under his control, but his half-volley on goal is weak and easily saved by Casillas.
• 87'

  Arbeloa has replaced James, and that will be the end of the substitutions for both teams, with all six already used. Celta are back on the ball again, but they're simply out of gas and ideas at this point.
• 
  85'

  SubstitutionJames RodríguezArbeloa
• 85'

  Ramos strides forward to confront Fernandez, but only succeeds in clumsily tripping the Celta man. A booking follows for the defender. Time fast ticking away here at the Balaidos.
• 84'

  Yellow Card Sergio Ramos
• 83'

  Isco has been pulled for Jese in Madrid's second change of the game. Meanwhile, the Celta faithful continue to boo Ronaldo every single time he gets on the ball. Not that he cares, mind, he's probably used to that sort of treatment!
• 
  82'

  SubstitutionIscoJesé Rodríguez
• 81'

  So Madrid look set to close the gap to Barcelona back to two points, which is where it was at the start of the game week. There's no margin for error in the final matches of the season from these two now!
• 79'

  The fans have taken a cantankerous turn in recent minutes as they sense the game slipping away from their side. Madrid have been in complete control of this since taking a two-goal lead.
• 77'

  Madrid appear to have switched to a back three for the closing stages after Pepe's introduction. We rarely get to see the Portuguese, Ramos and Varane on the pitch at the same time, much less together in at the back.
• 75'

  SubstitutionSantiago Mina LorenzoPablo Hernandez
• 75'

  Hernandez steps in for Mina in Celta's third and final change. It's all gone flat for the home side in the second half, and the frustration is starting to seep into some of their play.
• 74'

  SubstitutionJavier HernándezPepe
• 73'

  SubstitutionJoaquin LarriveyCharles
• 73'

  Substitution time for Celta, with Larrivey making way for Charles, after a largely frustrating game for the attacker. Madrid make a defensive swap to boot, as the excellent Chicharito makes way for Pepe.
• 71'

  Is that curtains for Celta? I'm loath to count them out given how sterling their play has been in this game but you can't imagine Madrid taking many more risks in attack now. There will be even more numbers at the back for the hosts to break down, which they've struggled with in recent plays.
• 70'

  SubstitutionFabián OrellanaTheo Bongonda
• 69'

  Assist Sergio Ramos
• 69'

  Goal Javier Hernández
  CHICHARITO STRIKES AGAIN! Credit to Ramos, who spotted a gap in midfield, drove into it and lifted a wonderful pass over the top for the striker, who broke clear of his man with a burst of acceleration and prodded the ball home!
• 67'

  Celta keep trying to probe and penetrate, but Madrid are holding firm at the moment. The lack of space compared to that afforded to the hosts on the counter-attack in the first half is telling.
• 65'

  It's a reversal of roles from the first half, where Celta played on the counter to offset possession and pressure from Madrid. The home side are the ones monopolizing the ball now, with Ancelotti's team only taking risks when they have the chance to outnumber the opposition at pace.
• 63'

  NOT FAR OFF! Ronaldo and Chicharito combine again, and the former plays the latter goalside of his man. However, the angle is still against him. and he can't keep his finish under the crossbar!
• 61'

  Celta continue to keep the pressure in the opposition half, with Madrid now playing on the break. Marcelo makes an emergency clearance off the line after a loose header in the box from a Celta player.
• 59'

  WAS THAT A PENALTY? Orellana goes tumbling inside the area after a challenge from Kroos, and replays show that there was minimal, if any, contact on the ball from that tackle from behind! Madrid may have dodged a bullet there, and Celta are fuming!
• 57'

  The ball continues to move from end to end, with neither side willing to let the other settle for long. Isco tries to squeeze a finish past Sergio, but the keeper raced off his line and dared the midfielder to beat him, which he could not!
• 55'

  Ronaldo has been booed every time he's touched the ball by these vociferous fans, and he attempts to silence them with a long-range try, but it was too close to Sergio, who makes the save.
• 53'

  Yellow Card Johny
• 53'

  Jonny takes one for the team, hauling down Chicharito quite blatantly to prevent him from racing onto an out-ball from defence. Cynical play from the full-back and no surprise to see the yellow card follow.
• 52'

  Orellana receives a yellow card for complaining, and moments later, Celta are back on the attack. However. Krohn-Dehli's attempted ball to the overlapping Mallo is disappointingly too short.
• 51'

  Yellow Card Fabián Orellana
• 50'

  Mina breaks clear of the Madrid backline, and tries to lob Casillas, but he failed to keep his effort off target. Celta aren't going away here, and the omens look good for more goals in the second half.
• 48'

  Great play from Orellana to skin Carvajal down the left, before working the ball into the box. Madrid can't clear, and eventually the ball breaks to Mallo on the right side, who can't find the target!
• 46'

  Here we go again!
• And that will do it after a tremendous first half of football at the Baialdos. Five goals scored, with Madrid holding a narrow 3-2 edge that is anything but secure. It's been back and forth between two spirited teams fighting for different things in the league. The second half promises to be a cracker, so do stay tuned.
• 45'

  MADRID NEEDED THAT FROM RAMOS! The defender comes up with an important sliding challenge to stop Larrivey from pouncing at the back post! Wouldn't have surprised me if that one had gone in!
• 43'

  Assist Cristiano Ronaldo
• 43'

  Goal James Rodríguez
  WITH A SLICE OF LUCK, MADRID ARE BACK IN FRONT! Ronaldo rolls the ball across the top of the box for James, who in turn cuts onto his left foot and has a crack at goal. It takes a huge deflection which wrong-foots Sergio before sneaking inside the post!
• 42'

  Chicharito has been splendid in this match. Not just for his goal, but for his willingness to drop deep and set up play. That flies in the face of those who still think that he's nothing more than a poacher.
• 40'

  OFF THE WOODWORK! The ball is lifted beyond the defence for Ronaldo, who drives past his man and cleverly slides a finish under the keeper, who tried to close out the angle. Unfortunately for the Portuguese, the ball rolled off the base of the post and there was no one there in black to clean up the rebound! Celta survive that one!
• 38'

  The ball breaks kindly for Larrivey at the top of the box, but the striker can only flash his effort right down the throat of Casillas. Two of the Celta front three have already hit the back of the net.
• 36'

  Both teams slow down the tempo for a beat, with Larrivey forced off the field to change his shirt after some blood dripped on it, presumably from his earlier head wound. Less than 10 minutes to go until the break.
• 34'

  Madrid are hunting for a goal to get back on top, but Celta have been at their best when breaking a pace. Indeed, both of their goals have come from exactly that sort of avenue. Therefore, it may be in their best interest to coax Madrid further up the field. Makes for a great show!
• 32'

  Ronaldo has scored 12 goals against Celta Vigo in la Liga, but apart from that burst that helped to set up the opener, he's been a peripheral figure in this contest. The two-man frontline for Madrid still has a few kinks to work out.
• 30'

  This has been one of the best half-hours of football in Spain this season and if it continues at this pace, we could have a classic on our hands. Madrid are being made to do it the hard way!
• 28'

  Goal Santiago Mina Lorenzo
  SPOKE TOO SOON! CELTA ARE LEVEL! A fantastic break from the home side, as Mina splits two defenders with a great run. He slides the ball under the keeper, it hits the post, but he reacts quicker than Marcelo on the line to smash in the rebound!
• 27'

  Truth be told, we have seen precious little from Celta Vigo since they conceded via Kroos. Madrid are on top now and there is an opportunity for them to pad their lead further.
• 26'

  Like he has done so many times ad Manchester United, Chicharito has come up trumps with a vital goal. That's what he's built his career on, and how important have his contributions been to Madrid in recent games!
• 24'

  Assist James Rodríguez
• 24'

  Goal Javier Hernández
  CHICHARITO DOES IT AGAIN! The Mexican striker starts and finishes the move, exchanging a series of passes with James on the right, before making a driving run to the near post and slamming an accomplished finish into the bottom corner from the Colombian's final ball!
• 23'

  Larrivey returns to the field with his head adorned with what can only be described as a swimming cap crossed with a du-rag. Celta have Nolito caught offside on their very next attack.
• 22'

  There was a nasty clash of heads between Larrivey and Ramos, and they both stay down in need of some treatment. That about sums up the full-blooded nature of this contest so far - what a captivating game!
• 20'

  THAT WAS A CLOSE CALL FOR CELTA! Marcelo strides infield and slips Chicharito in behind the defence. Sergio races out to meet him and just about palms the ball away, with James curling the rebound off target from an angle. The offside flag is raised very late ,but replays show that the trailing leg of a defender played the Mexican striker on!
• 18'

  Madrid have lost their last three games where they've conceded the first goal - with those defeats coming against Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Schalke. On the run of play, they will need to work their socks off if they're to avoid a similar fate against this plucky Celta side.
• 16'

  Goal Toni Kroos
  SWIFT REPLY FROM THE VISITORS AND WE'RE ALL SQUARE! Carvajal combines with Ronaldo down the right and the Portuguese drives to the byline with pace. He cuts back into the six-yard area, and Celta get the first touch on the ball. However, it only falls to Kroos just inside the area, and the German sweeps it confidently home!
• 13'

  Celta are going from strength to strength following that opener, and are once again stepping up their game for the big occasion. If only they could close out results against the Granadas and the Elches of the world - they would have been shoe-ins for a Europa League place at least!
• 11'

  Madrid's players looked dumbfounded in the immediate aftermath of that strike. We've seen Celta play some wonderful football this season, and that was a prime example of what they're capable of. It appears that Ramos lost his boot in the buildup to that goal, which severely affected his attempts to stop Nolito!
• 9'

  Assist Fabián Orellana
• 9'

  Goal Nolito
  FANTASTIC STUFF AND CELTA LEAD! The hosts break quickly, but play the ball out to Nolito on the left, leaving him with a lot to do. He takes it all on himself, wriggling past two players, shifting the ball onto his right and slipping a low shot into the near corner past a rooted Casillas!
• 7'

  Los Merengues have had more of the possession, but they haven't really been allowed to settle on the ball in the Celta half. The home side are hounding the man on the ball and working hard to close down passing lanes, which is forcing Madrid to reset their attack constantly.
• 5'

  The home side manufacture some decent pressure down the right-hand side which has the added bonus of forcing Marcelo back, with the Brazilian camped in the opposition half before. Two corners in succession are the result for Celta, but both times, Madrid are first to the delivery.
• 3'

  Lot of energy in the stands, which is being matched by the play on the pitch. Real Madrid know the significance of a good result here at the Balaidos and are trying to force the issue accordingly.
• 1'

  Off we go!
• With Gareth Bale out, Ancelotti has once again persisted with the 4-4-2 lineup that just about got them over the line against Atletico in the Champions League quarter-finals. There's been two changes from that game, with Pepe replaced by Asier Illarramendi, meaning that Sergio Ramos returns to centre-back. Marcelo has also been swapped in for Fabio Coentrao. Up front, UCL match-winner Chicharito partners Cristiano Ronaldo.
• Celta manager Eduardo Berizzo names an unchanged XI from his team's last outing, a 1-0 away win against Eibar. The front three of Santi Mina, Joaquin Larrivey and Nolito will be interesting to watch against a Blancos team that is stretched pretty thin thanks to some untimely injuries.
• Real Madrid (4-4-2): Casillas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; James, Illarramendi, Kroos, Isco; Chicharito, Ronaldo.
• Celta Vigo (4-3-3): Sergio; Mallo, Cabral, Fontas, Jonny; Orellana, Agusto, Krohn-Dehli; Mina, Larrivey, Nolito.
• Real Madrid have won 12 of their last 14 encounters with Galician clubs. However, their lone defeat in that span came at this very stadium against tonight's opponents last season. That match, a 2-0 defeat on the penultimate day of the campaign, ended their hopes of reclaiming the Liga trophy, which eventually went to Atletico. Further good omens for the home side comes from the fact that los Blancos have lost four of their last eight games away from the Bernabeu.
• Celta, in ninth place, still have slim hopes of a Europa League place. Two straight wins in the league have kept those chances alive, though they still trail sixth place Villarreal by 11 points - which they could cut to eight with a win here. The Galician club have already claimed wins against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid this season - is there a possibility that they can complete the trio of scalps?
• Madrid begin this game five points adrift of Barcelona, thanks to the league leaders' 2-0 win over city rivals Espanyol on Saturday. Los Blancos have plenty to occupy their minds outside of the Spanish top flight, with a Champions League semi-final date booked against Juventus. With Barca squaring off against Bayern Munich in the other last-four tie, there exists the possibility of a Clasico UCL final. Won't that be something!
• Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Liga clash between Celta Vigo and Real Madrid at the Balaidos. With Barcelona winning again yesterday, the pressure is back on Carlo Ancelotti's men to claim full points to keep things tight at the top of the table. I'm Keeghann Sinanan, your designated scribe for all the action.

   

  Credit: Goal