Real Madrid's downward slope in form continued as they were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by a resilient Celta Vigo side as the match ended 2-2, thus ending the tie on a 4-3 aggregate to Celta. The Balaidos Stadium erupted in delight as the final whistle was blown marking Celta’s progress into the semi-finals of the cup competitions.
Maybe missing out on key players due to injuries may have had a role to play in Real Madrid's loss. However, they have only themselves to blame for putting on a display that showed a clear lack of discipline in defence as their wait for a Copa del Rey title goes on for another year. The last time they won the cup was during the 2013/14 season.
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Cristiano Ronaldo put an end to his goalless run by scoring a peach of a free-kick but this might be the only positive that Zinedine Zidane can take from a lacklustre performance. Celta, on the other hand, waited for the right opportunities and took their chances well.
Here are how all the players fared:
Celta Vigo (4-3-3):
Sergio Alvarez (Goalkeeper): 6.5/10
Alvarez could not do much about both the Real goals. But, he did make some vital saves, especially one brilliant save from Cristiano Ronaldo's header that he tipped onto the crossbar.
Hugo Mallo: 7/10
Mallo was rock-solid at right-back for Celta as he led his side by example and helped break down Real's attacking moves. He was also a willing participant in going forward to attack.
Facundo Roncaglia: 6.5/10
Roncaglia made a few important clearances for his side and played a safe defensive game at the heart of defence.
Gustavo Cabral: 7/10
Cabral was excellent at the back for his team and made many vital tackles and interceptions, keeping his side safe from the Real Madrid forwards.
Jonny Castro: 6.5/10
Castro had a decent game as he kept both Isco and Asensio quiet for much of the game. He had his work cut out as much of Real's attacks came through Celta's left flank as even Sergio Ramos made way to send in crosses.
Marcelo Diaz: 6.5/10
Diaz was a calm presence in the midfield for Celta as he passed the ball around in pressure situations with ease. He had a couple of attempts on goal that he maybe should have done better with.
Nemanja Radoja: 6/10
Radoja was the shield ahead of the Celta defence and he carried out his responsibilities well, although he committed a few needless fouls.
Daniel Wass: 7.5/10
The Danish midfielder scored the goal that sealed Celta's passage through to the semi-final with a fine finish. He had a good game as he pushed forward in attack and helped out his defence.
Iago Aspas: 6.5/10
Aspas, Celta's major threat in attack, was kept in check for a lot of the game. However, he did find opportunities to score and set up his teammates which he probably could have done better with good decision making.
John Guidetti: 7.5/10
Guidetti was a thorn in the side for the Real defence as he gave Ramos and counterparts no respite. He was unlucky not to have a goal to his name, but the save from his shot in the first half led to the own goal that gave Celta the lead.
Theo Bongonda: 6.5/10
Bongonda was not able to add much in attack as he had to help out his left-back in defence with Real using Celta's left flank excessively. Whenever he received the ball, the Belgian was able to hold off any pressure and keep possession.
Substitutes:
Jozabed Sanchez: 6/10
Jozabed only came on for Celta in the 84th minute, however, he was able to provide the assist for Wass’ finish from the edge of the box.
Sergi Gomez: NA
Gomez took the field of play with only two minutes of regulation time to go and it was too less to make an impact.
Andreu Fontas: NA
The defender came on during the last two minutes of stoppage time.
Real Madrid (4-4-2)
Kiko Casilla (Goalkeeper): 7.5/10
Casilla was one of Real's best players as he kept his side in the game with some crucial saves. He was also ready to run off his line and make clearances to help out his defence who were higher up the pitch.
Danilo: 5.5/10
Danilo had a game to forget as he scored the own goal that gave Celta the lead. He might have been unlucky in giving away the goal as Casilla's save ricocheted off his legs as he tried to help out his defence. He earned the free kick that Ronaldo scored from.
Sergio Ramos: 5/10
Ramos also had a bad game as he was unable to lead the defence in an effective manner with inexperienced defenders around him. His positioning was below par and in attack he missed a few golden opportunities that he usually would have buried.
Casemiro: 5/10
Casemiro had to fill in at centre-back for Real and he had a torrid time there as he made a few errors. One of his clearances which should have led to a goal was messed up by Aspas. The Brazilian was badly positioned for both of Celta's goals.
Nacho Fernandez: 6/10
Nacho was probably the better of the Real defenders as he defended fairly well against Aspas and helped his side in attacks through the left flank.
Marco Asensio: 6.5/10
Asensio was energetic through both the flanks for Real as they pushed relentlessly in attack. However, he was not able to create a lot of chances for his forwards.
Mateo Kovacic: 6.5/10
With Casemiro playing in defence, it was up to Kovacic to play the role of a defensive midfielder and he did that well, to an extent. He also helped initiate attacks for his side as he drove on from midfield to the attacking third with the ball.
Toni Kroos: 6/10
Kroos produced some wonderful set pieces that deserved to be finished. He did not help out his inexperienced defence much.
Isco: 6/10
Isco showed good footwork to wriggle his way through the Celta defence. He produced a few chances, one that Cristiano Ronaldo failed to convert.
Karim Benzema: 6/10
Benzema gave the flick on via which led to Real scoring their second goal from Kroos’ corner. He was not very prominent for large parts of the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 7/10
Ronaldo scored a brilliant free kick that kept Real in the reckoning, equalising the score at 1-1. However, the Portuguese missed out on a few other scoring opportunities which were easier.
Substitutes:
Lucas Vazquez: 6.5/10
Vazquez, after coming on in the 76th minute, scored a late goal for Real with a well-taken header that gave them some hope.
Alvaro Morata: 6/10
Morata came on during the last 10 minutes and had very little impact on the game.
Mariano Diaz: NA
Diaz came on in the 90th minute and had very less time to change the course of the game.
