Full match player ratings below:
Thibaut Courtois—8.5: Several important saves to keep Madrid in the match. Made five saves in total, three of which were inside the box.
Lucas Vázquez—6: Overlapped effectively and delivered two low-driven crosses that caused Celta problems. Defensively, however, lacked the speed and athleticism to recover into position.
Raúl Asencio—7: Crucial last-ditch intervention on Borja Iglesias early in the game.
Tchouaméni—8: Quietly put in a five-star performance at center back for 70 minutes. Fantastic 1v1 defending and intercepted multiple attempted through balls. Lost concentration on Swedberg’s goal but otherwise delivered his best showing at center back.
Fran García—5: Lacked chemistry with Vini Jr. Provided energy and effort defensively to help contain Celta.
Dani Ceballos—6: Nearly perfect in possession but exposed in transition due to several poor high pressing sequences from the team.
Federico Valverde—7: Delivered several ball-carrying bursts through midfield that led to dangerous Madrid attacks.
Jude Bellingham—6: Inconsistent performance with his best moments coming early before fatigue set in late on.
Arda Guler—9: Everything Guler touched turned to gold. The standout performer. Scored a vintage goal with perfect technique, curling the ball into the top corner. Later, delivered an Ozil-like pass to an on-running Mbappe for the second goal. Finished with a goal, an assist, 2 big chances created, 3 key passes, 100% pass accuracy from 62 passes, 2 long balls, and 1 completed dribble.
Vinícius Júnior—5: Showed flashes of electric speed early on but faded from the game as Güler assumed control down the middle and right.
Kylian Mbappé—8.5: Two clinical goals, capitalizing on his sharp off-ball movement.
Substitutions:
Jacobo—5: Struggled with the movement and vision of Aspas, often stepping out too aggressively and pulling the backline out of shape.
Luka Modrić—5: Brought in to provide control, but instead chaos ensued with two late goals and mounting pressure from Celta.
Brahim Díaz—N/A: 13 minutes and 6 touches; no real impact on the game.
