Kroos goal gives Madrid narow win against Celta

Real Madrid were made to dig deep before an 81st minute goal from Tony Kroos gave them a narrow 2-1 win over a Celta Vigo side who came very close to causing an upset.

Fans expecting Real Madrid overrun their rivals were to be surprised in a tight first half when they struggled to break down a well-organized Celta defense, which denied Gareth Bale and Alvaro Morata space to run in.

Madrid's best chances came through shots from Luka Modric, who hit the post from 30 yards and then drew a flying save from Sergio Alvarez in the visitors' goal.

Bale headed wide from a corner when he could have scored, but Celta were good value to go in 0-0 at the break and even had a decent chance themselves when Radoja fired straight at Kiko Casilla through a crowd of players.

The second half began with Celta taking the game to Madrid, although neither Daniel Wass nor Fabian Orellana were able to apply a finishing touch as the ball bounced around the area.

Madrid reacted well and Alvarez tipped a Bale free kick onto the bar, but he then blotted his copybook with the error which led to Morata putting Madrid ahead.

Alvarez sent a clearance straight to Luka Modric, who stepped forward and passed to Marcos Asensio and although Alvarez saved his effort Morata was on hand to slam the ball into the net on the hour.

Madrid could have been expected to kill the game off, but a defensive lapse allowed John Guidetti to feed Orellana, who beat Casilla with a dipping shot.

Suddenly Madrid had work to do and began to pin Celta back, Alvarez parried a Bale header with 10 minutes remaining but could do nothing to deny Kroos, who scored a low shot from 25 yards to ensure the points remained at home. 

Source : XINHUA