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Goals in each half from Lucas Vasquez and Marco Asensio helped Real Madrid to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Celta Vigo at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano on Saturday.
Zinedine Zidane named a different starting 11 from the side that drew 1-1 against Elche last week. While Ferland Mendy came in for Marcelo, Nacho replaced captain Sergio Ramos, who missed the game through illness.
The visitors started the game on the front foot and got the first chance to break the deadlock as early as the fifth minute. Nolito played in Iago Aspas beautifully but the former Liverpool man saw his lobbed effort cleared off the line.
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A quick breakaway saw Real Madrid advance down the other end. Vasquez was on hand to head home a pin-point cross by Marco Asensio less than a minute later.
The opening goal gave Los Blancos the advantage they needed, and they gave a controlled performance to go into the break one goal ahead.
The second half started in disastrous fashion for the visitors, as their in-form talisman Iago Aspas had to be substituted with what appeared to be a hamstring injury in the 51st minute. Real Madrid doubled their lead not long after.
An interception near the Celta goal saw Vazquez turn provider for Asensio, playing him in with a delightful through-ball which the 24-year-old finished exquisitely.
From that moment onwards, it was cruise control for Real Madrid. Neither side fashioned too many chances, although Karim Benzema saw a left-footed shot sail just wide while Miguel Baeza saw his goal-bound shot blocked by the impressive Nacho in the final moments.
The win momentarily sends Real Madrid to the top of the league, pending the outcome of Atletico Madrid's result. Here, we shall be highlighting five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Real Madrid kick off new year in convincing style
The year 2020 ended on a disappointing note for Real Madrid, as they threw away a one-goal advantage to draw 1-1 with Elche in the final game of the year.
That stalemate saw Los Blancos fall two points behind city rivals Atletico Madrid on the La Liga table, while it also brought their six-game winning run to an end.
With Atletico holding a two-game advantage, Real Madrid can hardly afford any more slip-ups if they are to successfully retain their La Liga crown. They responded in style with a comfortable win in their first game of the new year.
It was a perfect throwback to the compact side that stormed their way to the title post-lockdown last season, with a resolute defence and dominant midfield ensuring that the hosts cruised to victory.
#4 Celta Vigo suffer injury worries to Nolito and Iago Aspas
Celta Vigo lost the services of two of their key players, with Iago Aspas and Nolito both hobbling off the field with what appeared to be hamstring injuries.
Although no official diagnosis has been given on their injuries, cameras showed ice packs being applied to the thighs of the two players in the stands, which was hardly a comforting sight to fans of the side.
Both players are extremely crucial to everything Celta Vigo hope to achieve this season and were directly involved in their only chance of the game.
In light of this, manager Eduardo Coudet would be hoping his two star players can return to full fitness quickly.
#3 Stellar Marco Asensio gets rewards for fine displays in recent weeks
Marco Asensio blossomed as a prodigiously talented teenager for Real Madrid, and his world-class goal against Barcelona in the 2017 Spanish Super Cup earmarked him as one to watch in the future.
However, injuries and a loss of form hampered his progress, with a ruptured ACL suffered in a pre-season fixture against Arsenal in 2019 ruling him out for almost a year.
The extended lockdown afforded him a chance to return to action. Despite marking his return with a goal and assist against Valencia, however, Asensio looked a shadow of himself in the last few months.
Despite this, Zinedine Zidane stuck with him, and the Spain international has slowly gotten back to full fitness and form for Real Madrid in recent weeks.
He provided his first assist of the season in the 2-0 victory over Granada, while it was his stinging effort off the crossbar that was headed into an empty net by Luka Modric in the 1-1 draw with Elche.
Asensio was once again handed a start against Celta Vigo and rewarded his manager's faith by providing an excellent left-wing cross for Vazquez to open the scoring.
Seven minutes into the second half, the former Espanyol man showed great composure to put Real Madrid 2-0 up with what was his first goal of the season.
The technique shown in controlling and finishing the goal was reminiscent of Marco Asensio at his best.
#2 Poor Celta Vigo fail to trouble Real Madrid
Celta Vigo's poor start to the season saw them win just one of their opening nine games, leading to the termination of Oscar Garcia's contract.
The Spaniard was replaced by Argentine Eduardo Coudet. He brought about an instant revolution, allowing the Galicians to come into their clash with Real Madrid as one of the form teams in the league.
A 4-2 defeat to Sevilla in Coudet's first game in charge was the only reversal suffered by Celta, with six wins from their next seven games propelling them up the table.
In Iago Aspas, Los Celestes had arguably the most in-form player in the league, and they would have fancied their chances of getting something against the defending champions.
Their bright start to the game seemed to lay credence to this but it proved to be a false dawn, as Real Madrid scored immediately after that.
The hosts seemed content to sit back and protect their lead rather than add to it. Their job was made much easier by Celta Vigo's lack of ambition to impose themselves on the game.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was virtually a spectator in the game and did not have to make a save until the dying moments, which was rather disappointing from Celta's perspective.
#1 Impressive Nacho holds it down for Real Madrid in the absence of Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos is unarguably one of the greatest defenders in the history of Real Madrid, and his presence on the field cannot be underemphasised.
It is for this reason that fans of the club might have expressed worry when their captain and talisman was excluded from the starting lineup owing to a stomach upset.
They need not have bothered though, as Nacho Fernandez proved himself to be an excellent cover for the 33-year-old.
Long seen as an excellent utility player, the Spain international proved his mettle alongside Raphael Varane and needed just five minutes to make his first telling contribution to the game.
The 30-year-old showed great anticipation to stop Aspas' lobbed, goal-bound shot, which would have changed the dynamics of the game had it gone in.
There was also another last-ditch tackle at the death, reminiscent of Sergio Ramos' tackle on Pedro Bigas last month. It even drew applause from the Real Madrid captain in the stands.
In what was a superb defensive performance, Nacho almost put no foot wrong and ended the game with three tackles, four clearances and two interceptions.
