Real Madrid fell to a shock defeat against Celta Vigo in La Liga as they ended the match with nine men and saw the pressure increase on manager Xabi Alonso.
The defeat means second-placed Real, who host Man City in the Champions League on Wednesday, remain four points behind leaders Barcelona having won just one of their last five La Liga matches.
“We are all angry, evidently this was not the game we wanted, it was not the result we wanted,” Alonso said.
“We have to try and turn the page as quickly as possible. It’s only three points.
“We have the Champions League game against City to react in, and get this bad taste out of our mouths.”
Seven minutes after the break, substitute Williot Swedberg flicked a clever finish into the bottom corner with his first league goal of the season giving Celta an unlikely lead.
In the 64th minute, things went from bad to worse for Real when they were reduced to 10 men after Fran Garcia was shown two yellow cards in the space of a minute.
Real were reduced to nine men in the 92nd minute after Alvaro Carreras was shown two quick-fire yellow cards, one for dissent and the other for foul and abusive language.
Swedberg added a second after Carreras’ dismissal as the hosts imploded.
It is Celta’s first win over Real in La Liga since May 2014, a run of 22 games without victory.
Earlier in the week, Alonso said he had held talks with club president Florentino Perezabout the club’s dip in form and he was shown a yellow card as tensions continued to rise inside the Bernabeu.
Real spurned chances with Arda Guler firing narrowly wide from close range and Kylian Mbappe chipping a shot just over the bar.
This is Real’s first match since Trent Alexander-Arnold was ruled out for two months with a thigh injury as his disrupted debut season continues and defender Éder Militao went off in the 23rd minute after injuring his hamstring in a further blow to Real’s defensive ranks.
Focus turns to a huge clash in the Champions League on Wednesday when Alonso’s side host Manchester City (20:00 GMT).
By BBC Sports
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
