Real Madrid responded to their painful Spanish Super Cup final defeat to Barcelona with a 5-2 victory of their own — although it was not an entirely smooth ride.
Los Blancos qualified for the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey despite squandering a two-goal lead given to them by Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior, needing extra time to win having led Celta Vigo 2-0 on 80 minutes. That initial collapse sparked angry reactions from the Santiago Bernabéu crowd, who had started the night whistling their team.
“It was a wake-up call that we accept,” said manager Carlo Ancelotti. “When the game was almost over we gave away two goals. In extra time we reacted well.”
Endrick, still struggling to adapt to life with Los Blancos, played a huge role with a spectacular brace, with Fede Valverde scoring a rocket in between. The Brazilian was assisted on both goals by Arda Güler, something that will please president Florentino Pérez, who is keen for the two youngsters to play a more prominent role.
The Athletic’s Mario Cortegana experienced the madness from the press box, and explores the key moments from the game…
Emotional rollercoaster at the Bernabeu
Real Madrid fans were vocal in their indignation at last Sunday’s drubbing.
In what is considered by many to be the most demanding stadium in the world, whistles were heard as early as the pre-match warm-up. The first flashpoint came moments before kick-off, when the players’ names were read over the public address system.
The highest decibels level were hit when the names of Aurelien Tchouameni and Carlo Ancelotti were read out. The heckling continued with Ferland Mendy, a substitute, Lucas Vázquez and even, albeit very timidly, Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian appeared to have won any doubted back over by the time he was substituted with the score at 2-0, receiving great affection from the crowd despite missing a one-on-one that would have made the score 3-0 and surely put the game to bed.
(Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“It wasn’t easy psychologically,” one Valdebebas source told The Athletic after the game. “Because of the stick from the other day, the rarefied atmosphere in the stadium and playing against a good opponent.”
The team’s improved showing in the second half brought peace, with the crowd even relaxing enough to ‘pay tribute’ to former player Marcelo, who was in a box with his two sons, one of them, Enzo, a promising academy striker.
However, Celta’s first goal led to a return of the whistling, which only increased with the Galicians’ equaliser. The atmosphere suddenly became incredibly fraught and tense.
At least, until the intervention of Endrick…
Endrick, the unexpected hero
Endrick spent Christmas in Madrid instead of going back to his native Brazil, focussing on preparations for the first round of the Copa del Rey, in which he would be a starter. But the game against Deportiva Minera did not go well, with the youngster looking anxious and frustrated, and failing to score any of his team’s five goals.
Rumours of a possible January departure surfaced, but as The Athletic reported it is not an option that player or club have contemplated. In the summer the situation will be reviewed and the best decision sought.
With all that and the fact that he entered this game with the score at 2-0 in mind, it did not feel especially likely that he would end up being a hero.
In the 108th minute, assisted by his friend Arda Güler, he turned in a tight space and rifled a sweetly-hit shot into the bottom corner — a classic striker’s manoeuvre. He was overjoyed and ran to the corner, taking off and throwing his undershirt and jersey in the air, before kneesliding to the corner flag.
“I don’t know what to say, these two goals are for Antonio Rüdiger, who knows what he does with me every day,” Endrick said on Real Madrid TV. “He never praises me, but it’s not bad, it’s good. He’s been a great person since I’ve been here.”
“Hard work pays off. You deserve this lil bro”, the German centre-back later wrote in an Instagram post.
And there was one more glimpse of a natural striker: at a corner he found the ball in the six-yard box, didn’t control it perfectly and had to use a spectacular back-heel to make it 5-2. It was a move reminiscent of one from his idol Cristiano Ronaldo at Rayo Vallecano in 2012.
“I did not look at the goal, I think it was God,” Endrick said in the mixed zone.
Before yesterday, the former Palmeiras starlet had played just 160 minutes across 16 games and fans were demanding he get more opportunities, but the youngster made a point of aligning himself with his coach: “I didn’t expect more. Carletto does what he does, which is not what is best for Endrick, but what is best for the team”.
When “Carletto” was asked at the press conference whether he was being a bit harsh on the Brazilian or Güler, his response was cutting: “Endrick already answered you. I don’t have to repeat it.”
(Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Tchouameni’s resurgence
With the Frenchman having been heavily criticised for his mistakes in the Barcelona defeat, Ancelotti had defended Tchouameni on Wednesday: “I remain convinced that he has done well as a centre-back, that’s what the data shows. But I’m aware that it’s not his ideal position”.
With the academy product Raúl Asencio in the lineup against Celta, the Italian moved the Frenchman back into midfield.
But Tchouameni had to bear the brunt of the criticism from his own fans, which weighed heavily on him. He was whistled with almost every touch in the first half, something previously unheard of at the Bernabeu.
Luka Modric encouraged him, offering a high-five on a couple of occasions, while Dani Ceballos asked for applause from the crowd after a great shot from his under-fire teammate.
Tchouameni’s most critical moments came with two dangerous and unnecessary losses of possession, but just before half-time he began to improve. He made two recoveries that were celebrated by the supporters, who saw him limping off to the dressing room talking to a member of medical staff.
That was as far as his woes went, and from then on it was vindication. The whistles were gone in the second half, with several key interceptions and also very much appreciated by the fans.
Ancelotti praised his step forward, typical of a “player of character”.
“The team reacted well (to the whistles), especially Tchouameni, who played a great game”.
When the referee blew the final whistle, Tchouameni left the pitch quickly, although not before stopping to give his shirt to a fan.
“What doesn’t kill you…”, he later wrote on Instagram.
(Top photo: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
