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Real Madrid lost further ground in the title race as a late Maxi Gomez equalizer forced a share of the spoils against a spirited Celta Vigo at the Estadio Municipal de Balaídos.
A quickfire brace from Gareth Bale completely wiped out Daniel Wass' opener as the defending champions looked to secure all three points. Iago Aspas missed a penalty midway through the second-half, but Maxi Gomez levelled terms just 10 minutes later to leave the visitors' La Liga hopes in complete tatters.
Los Blancos now trail leaders Barcelona by a mammoth 16 points, albeit with a game in hand. But even then, the gap's just too much for even a team of even their stature.
That being said, here's how each player from both sides fared on the night:
Celta Vigo
Ruben Blanco - 6.5/10
Could've done little to deny Bale on both occasions as the defence was caught out, but did really well to deny Ronaldo, who tested him with a powerful header. Blanco was also at ease to thwart an attempt by Vazquez in stoppage time.
Hugo Mallo - 6/10
Laid a brilliant cross to Iago Aspas in the early exchanges, and was also at the receiving end of an inadvertent hit by Casemiro. Went into the books for a terrible challenge on Bale.
Gustavo Cabral - 6.5/10
His only notable contribution was the composure shown to deal with Ronaldo when the Blancos star tried to break away the Celta defence. Else, had hardly any moments to savour.
Facundo Roncaglia - 7.5/10
The Argentinian replaced Sergio Gomez in the line-up and repaid the manager's faith when he kept out Ronaldo from foraying into the box. He was a commanding presence at the heart of the home side's defence, although he fell short when both goals were conceded.
Jonny - 5.5/10
The left-back had a terrible time as Modric had his number for the evening and also failed to produce anything of measure while going forward.
Daniel Wass - 9/10
Tested the Madrid defence to no end, and also cleverly struck the opener for the hosts. Wass was a constant outlet of dangerous crosses and was also hand-in-glove with Gomez for the late equaliser. The best player for Celta Vigo on the night.
Nemanja Radoja - 5.5/10
The Serbian national was disappointing in the centre aside from a few quick passes that kept Madrid chasing shadows. Radoja almost conceded a goal to Madrid when his sloppiness gave Ronaldo a chance to lay-off for Marcelo, who powered it into row Z. One of the few disappointments in an otherwise fine Galician side.
Pablo Hernandez - 6.5/10
Although he did bring balance to his team, Hernandez was culpable for missing a great chance when fed by Aspas, and was also easily dispossessed by Modric midway through the exchanges. Another mistake he made was in letting Achraf Hakimi break down the left.
Pione Sisto - 7.5/10
One of the better players going forward, Sisto was a constant threat with several good chances articulating through him. He also connected well with Hernandez and Gomez to heckle the Madrid defence.
Iago Aspas - 6.5/10
A mixed night for the former Liverpool man, who, although was very active in the box, missed a penalty in the second half that eventually proved very costly for the hosts. Aspas also missed some sitters which he usually would've scored 9 times out of 10.
Maxi Gomez - 7.5/10
A monkey on Real's back, Gomez caused all sorts of problems for the Madrid defence with his great link-up play and the numerous attempts he made at goal. But more importantly, it was him who secured a point for the home side as he skilfully headed down the cross to round off Navas for the leveller. Easily Celta Vigo's talisman for the night.
Substitutes:
Jozabed Sanchez - N/A
Was given barely 120 seconds to participate and understandably had no impact on the proceedings.
Stanislav Lobotka - 6.5/10
Replaced Radoja and came up with a coss in the dangerous area in the final few minutes, but wasn't powerful enough to beat an on-rushing Lucas Vazquez.
Emre Mor - 5/10
Whilst replacing a terrific Sisto was questionable, replacing him with Mor was more so, for the Danish youngster couldn't do much after coming on.
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas - 7/10
The Costa Rican played both, Mr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde in a rollercoaster outing. Whilst the opening goal was a result of a sloppy defence, Navas conceded a cheap penalty when he brought down Iago Aspas in the box. Even though he saved the penalty to rectify the mistake, he was caught out once again by Wass in the dying embers.
Achraf Hakimi - 6.5/10
The youngest in the Madrid backline clearly has a lot to learn, as his inexperience was written all over the game. Hakimi was dialled down by Sisto throughout the match, whilst also offering little to nothing going forward.
Raphael Varane - 6.5/10
Varane wasn't at his usual best; completely at fault for leaving Gomez totally unmarked in the build-up to the equaliser. The Frenchman undid the smattering of positives he pilfered with a few key passes and dribble attempts on his way ahead.
Marcelo - 5/10
This surely has to be one of his worst performances of the season. The Brazilian, who's mainly involved in the attacking pelts, lacked the same flair today as his contributions in the final third were minimal. The less we talk about his defensive duties the better.
Nacho - 6/10
Poor Nacho. How the Spaniard sorely missed his partner-in-crime Sergio Ramos. Marcelo's forays left Nacho without much help on the left, and was also left exposed the back. Couldn't establish any sort of communication with Kroos or Casemiro either.
Casemiro - 6/10
The man who once brought seamless balance to the Real Madrid team, was pretty unbalanced himself this evening. The Brazilian did not provide the necessary cover to the back four and was completely unsettled by Celta's brilliant ball movements.
Toni Kroos - 7/10
His only significant contribution to the game was the low drive pass through the midfield to release Gareth Bale for the opener. Otherwise, the former Bayern Munich man was just like many others in the team - forlorn and lacking flair. Kross also showed great lack of interest in trying help beef up the defence.
Luka Modric - 8/10
Modric was one of the few shining lights for the visiting side, straining every sinew in the midfield whilst also helping young Achraf Hakimi on the right. The Croatian was an occasional attacking outlet as well, but should've remained on the field ahead of Kroos.
Isco - 7.5/10
The diminutive midfielder too fell victim of several defensive flaws cropped up in this diamond formation, but laid a fine assist to Bale for the second goal to demonstrate his keen eye for the ball. Another case of ill-replacement as Isco was dangerous in the attack and subbing him off robbed Madrid of some of the flair in the final few minutes.
Gareth Bale - 9/10
The star of the evening, the Welshman's double salvaged a point for the beleaguered holders, as he gave all sorts of headaches to the Celta defence. Bale was a livewire in the box, and despite being presented with only two chances, showed great clinical tendencies by dispatching both of them.
Cristiano Ronaldo - 6/10
As it has been the case all season, the Blancos superstar once again came a cropper in the attack and also disappointed in perhaps his only chance of the evening, presented by Lukas Vazquez. Though he connected just fine with his Welsh counterpart, Ronaldo was more cut-off from the rest of the team as he was left devoid of usual services.
Substitutes:
Lucas Vazquez - 6.5/10
The Spaniard missed a glorious chance to seal a late winner in the stoppage time, but was also at fault for showing lethargy in the build-up to Celta's second goal.
Mateo Kovacic - 6.5/10
He was thrown in to bring some balance to the side, but the fact that the hosts equalised just minutes after his coming on is a frustrating sight for him. Besides, Kovacic did little of notice and also had only a few touches.
Marco Asensio - N/A
Was brought on in the dying embers of the match that proved too little too late for him to make any sort of difference in.
