A late goal by Toni Kroos sealed victory as Real Madrid defeated an impressive Celta Vigo side 2-1 to win their first home La Liga game of the campaign on Saturday.
Alvaro Morata scored his first goal for the hosts since returning from Juventus to break the deadlock on the hour before Fabian Orellana levelled for Celta in the 67th minute.
Kroos then finished off substitute James Rodriguez’s cut- back with a low drive from the edge of the area in the 81st minute, giving Real six points from their two league games this season.
“We were made to suffer against a team that were a lot better than I expected especially in attack,” coach Zinedine Zidane told a news conference.
“They caused problems for us on a few occasions but that’s normal…it’s never easy to win.”
Croatia playmaker Modric rattled the bar and tested goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez with two other efforts from distance but it was Celta who squandered the first clear opening.
Theo Bogonda robbed Dani Carvajal and raced down the wing before opting to shoot when John Guidetti was unmarked in the area, the Belgian firing wide to his team mate’s frustration.
Gareth Bale clipped the bar at the other end in the second half with a free kick and the breakthrough arrived soon after.
Modric slipped a pass to Marco Asensio and the winger was thwarted by Alvarez, only for Morata to ram the loose ball into the net.
The former Juve forward almost grabbed a second goal a few minutes later when he latched on to a ball from Kroos and his effort bounced off the outside of the far post.
Celta then levelled following a crisp move between Daniel Wass, Guidetti and Orellana, the Chilean sending a rasping drive high beyond Casilla.
Zidane called on substitutes Rodriguez and Mariano Diaz and it was the out of favour Colombian, who started on the bench for the third game running, who made the difference, chasing down a loose ball on the right and sliding it back for Kroos to score.
After facing repeated questions about Rodriguez’s future in recent weeks, Zidane praised the player’s display on Saturday and confirmed he would not be leaving Real before the transfer window closes.
“When you come on you have to make a difference and he got chances and did well,” said the Frenchman.
“He’s going to stay here.”
