The re-release of the Bernabéu, from the drama to the total white party

It was not just another game on the Real Madrid calendar. Not much less. It had been 560 days since the last time the Santiago Bernabéu, one of the world’s football temples, came to life with its team on the pitch and the fans in the stands. Such a wait turned the duel against Celta into a party, a double-edged sword for the host due to the responsibility that comes with being at the height of the banquet. In fact, the night returned to drama with the visitor’s advantage at halftime and a disturbing feeling of white defensive weakness, but after the restart it evolved into a real celebration with a Madridista offensive display as in the times of wine and roses.

The Galician team, aware of its role as a guest but with weapons to play a role far beyond a stone guest, pressed high and forced the mistake of the newcomer Miguel Gutiérrez in a delivery in a delicate area, on the edge of the white area. Nacho and Casemiro doubted and Santi Mina took advantage of it, who fired hand in hand against Courtois mercilessly to throw cold water on the enthusiasm of Real Madrid on their return to Chamartín.

Ancelotti denied on the bench, as the defensive errors that tormented him at the Ciutat de Válencia, those that seemed under control at Villamarín, returned to make an appearance at the least indicated moment. The white reaction was not bad, led by the enthusiasm of Vinicius, who for the first time shared ownership with Hazard. The Brazilian shook up the game by combing a ball to which Dituro reacted well and also tried it with a right-handed shot that was providentially deflected by the Galician rear.

Madrid, forced by the chants of its fans, turned towards the Celtian door. Benzema struck on the left side, with his classic quality, and put it back so that Casemiro could rehearse the high shot. Hazard was also encouraged with the beating. The feeling was that the result was due more to an accident than to what was happening on the brand-new lawn, as the whites accumulated merits. However, the incident was about to be repeated with another bad pass in the red zone, this time by Carvajal, without Aspas being able to take advantage of it.

The scare did not change the script of the game, at an unsustainable rate for Celta. Vinicius, hyperactive, opened on the right side, from where Valverde put it into the heart of the area. There the most indicated appeared, Benzema, who, acting as ‘9’, finished off with a boat to sign a well-deserved draw. The equalizer acted as a sleeping pill for Madrid, which lowered its intensity by one point. The situation seemed under control but the black hole of this Ancelotti team is in their defense. Hugo Mallo started the race with the ball, with a highway on the right side. The Celta captain planted himself in the area and put it at the heart of it, where Santi Mina dragged the defenders to allow Cervi’s high heel shot. Water in the first, but white in the second, with the ball rejected by the post.

In a relentless game, Benzema scored before the break, but the ball had reached the Frenchman after a head pass from Casemiro, offside. The truth is that during the break, Madrid left with very good feelings in attack but also a very weak version in their own area.

Offensive display

Madrid recovered the spark after passing through the changing rooms, so much so that it did not take a minute to sign the equalizer. Miguel Gutiérrez, willing to amend his role in Celta’s first goal, put it from the left with enough precision so that a predator like Benzema would not miss with the head. A tie at two and a new game, to ask of mouth for the white team.

Celta has quality so that the rival does not live calmly in the give and take and Santi Mina warned to remember that the Madrid company was not going to be easy. However, the quality of Benzema to find the hole and the speed of Vinicius planted the Brazilian against Dituro. There it was night until not long ago, but that seems to be part of the past. He defined with such quality that as a result of his enthusiasm he went straight to the stands to celebrate the goal with the fans. The crowd embraced him and the image will go down in the history of the return to the Bernabéu.

Despite everything, the duel was not over, far from it. Vinicius was able to close it after an error by Araújo but this time he ran into Dituro’s legs. The fatigue resulting from the hectic nature of the game invited us to think about spaces for adventurers. Camavinga made his debut in those days and to round off the festivity the very young French midfielder was attentive after a play by Modric and took advantage of the rejected ball, signing the dream premiere. Even then Celta did not give up, a better team than the point they have achieved in the league so far says, but Madrid was determined to continue feeding the joy of the local parish. Again the vertigo of Vinicius to force the penalty of Denis Suárez and Benzema to finish the task from eleven meters. Total party at the ‘new’ Bernabéu.