Real Madrid 4-0 Celta Vigo: Vinicius Junior Shines Again as Real Secure a 7-Point Lead Over Girona

After an unconvincing Champions League victory over RB Leipzig and much criticism directed towards Vinicius Junior’s antics, the Brazilian winger responded to the claims with another dominant display against Celta Vigo. With their appeal against Jude Bellingham’s red card in their controversial Valencia match failing, Real Madrid had to rely on Vini again, and he delivered by scoring his fourth goal in three games as Real left it late to dismantle 17th place, Celta Vigo. Moreover, with two own goals from the visitors and an Arda Guler maiden goal added to the cause, Vinicius Junior and co continue leading the pack at the top.

Related: Luka Modrić Nets Critical Winner as Real Temporarily Go 8 Points Clear at the Top

Vinicius Junior and Arda Guler Rounded Off Deserving Victory

The Vinicius Junior act started as early as the 20th minute in the Santiago Bernabéu, as he had scored his second rebound from Antonio Rudiger’s header from Celta Vigo’s poor defending to cement Real’s dominant in the first half. However, the second half was a much tenser affair for Los Blancos as the visitors grew into the game, which caused immense frustration from the fans and Vinicius Junior. For context, the Brazilian was unhappy about his rough treatment and angrily barged Oscar Mingueza after his couple of cynical tugs of the winger shirt. 

It was Vinicius Junior’s third yellow card in consecutive games, but Carlo Ancelotti downplayed the incident as a normal reaction to frustration and stated he had spoken to Vini about this. Nevertheless, Vinicius Junior managed to cool off his fiery head and exact his revenge by contributing to Real’s third after Rudiger’s header cannon off the bar onto Vicente Guaita for the visitor’s first of two own goals. After finding space and time for his cross, the winger’s cross somehow missed Valverde and Guaita and ended with Carlos Dominguez putting it in the back of his own net.

With just five minutes remaining, Arda Guler came off the bench and had enough time to score his maiden goal after Luka Modric threaded the needle with a through ball. The win means that Real stay undefeated since their Copa del Rey lost to Atlético de Madrid and continue their 7-point advantage over Girona with ten games left to play. If everything goes Real way, they could wrap up their La Liga title as early as the start of May as Girona will face off against Barcelona with the hosts knowing other than a replication of their win at Spotify Camp Nou will hand Real the trophy.

Carlo Ancelotti Exclaimed Vinicius Junior as the Most Harshly Treated Player Ever

Before the encounter between Real and Celta Vigo, Carlo Ancelotti had slammed criticism directed towards Vinicius Junior. In his pre-match conference, the Real gaffer stated: “I’ve looked back a bit at history, statistics, and I’ve never seen a player who’s been persecuted like Vinícius. He’s kicked, he’s whistled, he’s insulted. And what does he do? He scores goals and provides assists. And then I’m supposed to talk to him about his attitude? No!”

Don Carlo continued: “Everyone should change their attitude regarding Vinícius. In my personal history, a player with great talent has never suffered the things that Vinicius has. In Vallecas against Rayo Vallecano, he got karate chopped in the head, and there wasn’t even a yellow card. Now everyone is asking for a red card for the push against Leipzig.” The wording bears similarity to when Jose Mourinho talked about the now-retired Eden Hazard during his time at the Bridge, as players of such calibre should earn more protection from the refs.

Regardless, Vinicius Junior stated his entire attention is set on helping Los Blancos. “I’m very happy, trying to be my best. The best part of the season is coming up, the good games, and I want to keep going like this. Hopefully, staying clear of injuries, which have hampered me a bit this season.”

Real Madrid Title Charge Boosted by Return of Key Figures

As Real Madrid heads into the international break, the fans will be delighted to know that Éder Militão and Thibaut Courtois are fit to return to the squad, as Ancelotti confirmed. According to the Italian gaffer, they have trained with the group over the last few days after spending the last few months recovering from their ACL injuries.

However, Ancelotti has held back from giving an exact date but has hinted that Éder Militão may return for their EL Classico tie in April as they are severely lacking at the back. As for Thibaut Courtois, Don Carlo pointed out he may prioritise the Belgian regaining full fitness, especially with Andriy Lunin impressing between the sticks.

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