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Real Madrid defeated Celtic 3-0 in their opening game of the UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday, September 6.
Celtic hosted the defending champions in Glasgow in their opening game of Group F. They made their appearance in the Champions League following a five-year hiatus, during which they struggled in the Europa League. Madrid, on the other hand, produced knockout football magic as they went on to lift their 14th title in the competition last season.
Celtic coach Ange Postecoglu was optimistic of his side's chances prior to kick-off, waving away questions about 'lowering expectations.' He said:
"I'm glad our fans are buzzing about it. I've got no problem with that."
As expected, Real Madrid played with the confidence of the champions right from the first whistle. Luka Modric, Daniel Carvajal and Aurelien Tchouameni all made positive starts as they passed the ball with intent.
However, Celtic were no pushovers as their confidence grew with every passing minute. They had four shots, with two on target compared to one shot off target by Madrid halfway into the first period.
Celtic Park was as loud as ever as their team surprisingly created some of the best openings in the first period. Thibaut Courtois looked up to the task in goal as he did well to make some good stops early in the game. David Alaba and Eder Militao made a nervy start, but were covered well by their midfielders and goalkeeper.
Josip Juranovic and Callum McGregor made good starts for Celtic as they played fearless football in the first period. Jota also made a good start, nearly providing an assist for a goal by Matt O'Riley. Vinicius Junior, too, came close but was denied by Joe Hart. Celtic and Real Madrid went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
Carlo Ancelotti decided to bring Antonio Rudiger on for Eder Militao for the second half. After a slow start in front of goal, he was eager for his side to break the deadlock. However, Celtic, too, made a change and brought pacey striker Daizen Maeda on. He had a brilliant chance to snatch the lead early on but failed to do so.
Real Madrid failed to create big chances but burst into life around the hour mark. They took the lead via Vinicius following a brilliant move that culminated in Federico Valverde playing the final ball. Los Blancos doubled their lead just four minutes later as Eden Hazard provided an assist for Luka Modric to score from.
They added a third goal after 77 minutes which all but killed the game and secured the win. Daniel Carvajal played the ball across goal for Eden Hazard to tap-in to make it 3-0. Real Madrid held on as they began their defense of the UCL title with a win. That said, let's take a look at the five major talking points from the game.
#5. Real Madrid were on the backfoot in the first half
Real Madrid created zero big chances to score from in the first half, as compared to one for their hosts. They also failed to register a single shot on target as compared to three by Celtic in the first period. Despite dominating possession, they failed to break down the Bhoys' defense as they had to wait until the 56th minute to open the scoring.
#4. Karim Benzema's injury could affect the team significantly
Karim Benzema is the main man, if not one of the most important players in this current Real Madrid team. His physicality, ability to drop deep to build from the back and his world class finishing are some of the qualities his teammates rely on him to provide.
However, Benzema suffered an injury and was replaced with Eden Hazard early in the game. Carlo Ancelotti will be hopeful his frontman returns soon.
#3. Celtic manager Ange Postecoglu approached the game with the right spirit
Several journalists and pundits were speculating whether Postecoglu would ask his team to play a cautious game to sneak a result. Many even suggested they should deliberately lower their expectations against a much stronger opposition.
However, the manager remains adamant that he will expect his team to live in the moment against the defending champions. He said:
"My job is to stay even-tempered through it, right? So in terms of my expectations and what we're building here, I ask the players to focus on what we're doing. But for the supporters, I want our fans dreaming of the big games and winning things."
It showed in the first half as Celtic took the game to Real Madrid. However, the class of champions shone through and they left Glasgow with all three points.
#2. Antonio Rudiger's substitution was the turning point
Following a rather nervy first-half display from Eder Militao, Ancelotti decided to shuffle his team and put Rudiger into action. His ability to pick the right pass and release the ball quickly helped Real Madrid as they started playing out of the back. All three of their goals were a result of this approach as they carved Celtic apart with silky passes.
#1. Real Madrid are surely in contention to win their 15th UCL this year
Following their 14th win in the Champions League, few would have picked a young and developing side to repeat their feat this year. However, with Ancelotti in charge, not only is that a possibility, but it could become a probability should they continue to progress the same way.
Madrid have some of the most uniquely talented players with a fighting spirit, and will be a tough team to get past in the knockout stages of the competition, which they are expected to qualify for.
