.Kylian Mbappé netted a brace as Real Madrid edged out Celta Vigo 3-2 on Sunday, holding off a determined late surge to keep the pressure on LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who they face in a highly anticipated Clasico clash next weekend.
The reigning champions claimed their fourth consecutive league victory, preserving hopes of defending their title with four games remaining.
Meanwhile, Celta Vigo stayed in seventh place, suffering their third defeat in four outings.
“The most important thing was the win. We played a good first half, but then we fell apart … They are a great team and they put us in trouble,” midfielder Federico Valverde told Real Madrid TV.
Madrid took firm control in the first 60 minutes, with Arda Güler opening the scoring just past the half-hour mark.
The Turkish midfielder executed a clever short corner routine with Lucas Vázquez, finishing it off with a stunning left-footed strike from a narrow angle.
Six minutes later, Mbappé extended the lead. A lofted pass from Jude Bellingham released the French forward, who raced through midfield before blasting a right-footed shot past the keeper from the edge of the area.
Early in the second half, Güler once again played the role of provider, threading a well-timed ball through to Mbappé, who coolly slotted it into the bottom-right corner to claim his 24th league goal of the campaign, just one shy of Barcelona’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski.
Though Madrid appeared in command, Celta Vigo refused to fold. They had shown resilience in recent games, having lost just two of their previous eleven LaLiga fixtures.
The visitors sparked a comeback in the 69th minute when Javi Rodríguez pounced on a failed clearance from a corner, firing home from close range after Sotelo’s effort created confusion in the box.
Williot Swedberg added a second for Celta seven minutes later, converting a pinpoint through ball from Iago Aspas to put pressure on the hosts.
With their lead under threat, Madrid relied on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who delivered clutch saves to deny both Pablo Durán and Aspas in the closing minutes.
“Now, let’s get ready for next Sunday,” Courtois said, looking ahead to the high-stakes showdown against Barcelona.
