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Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas shared his joy with his fans through his official website, explaining he is “happy and satisfied” with the victory Los Blancos brought home from Vigo.

The Costa Rica international was the man of the match, as he secured the three points with a superb performance.

“I blocked every shot confidently, and thank God I trusted myself. I left the field happy and satisfied. First, because of the win, and secondly, because I performed well at every scoring chance from Celta. The goal we conceded was a good shot on target, hard to reach,” he stopper explained.

“We managed to win on a difficult ground, and challenges like this one strengthen our goal of winning La Liga. We’re united and highly motivated. We are enjoying our victories because they’re the result of our effort, but there’s still a long way to go, and we want to keep at it

Navas, who has only conceded three goals so far this season, admitted he is very confident of himself at the moment: “The confidence I feel is very important. I manage to have it after the week’s training work, and because of my teammates’ support.”

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Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez says he is happy with his chance to play more football in the absence of established first team stars and wants to prove to boss Rafa Benitez he can be a key player.

The forward featured for Los Blancos in the 3-1 win over Celta Vigo, once again deputising for the injured Karim Benzema.

Reports have suggested Jese was growing frustrated with his lack of minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu and could look for a move elsewhere.

But speaking to reporters on Saturday, Jese said he is happy to get his chance as he’s always wanted to prove himself at the club.

“I’m very happy. I always try to make the most of the playing time the coach gives me, and I feel good and I have to carry on like this. I’ve always wanted to be at Real Madrid and be a success,” he commented.

Speaking about the game, the striker said: “It’s a really important win, because today was a diffcult match against a really good side. We’re very happy. I was expecting a really tough match, harder even than Wednesday’s because of our exertions in that game. We’ve just kept at it without thinking about the others. What’s important is that we’ve won and we stay top.”

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Lucas Vasquez says there is nothing defensive about the current Real Madrid side and they look to attack whenever possible.

Los Blancos won 3-1 at Celta Vigo on Saturday evening to move top of the table and remain unbeaten in all competitions this season.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, his 12th of the campaign, Danilo and Marcelo sealed the three points in a match in which Real had more than 20 efforts at goal.

Speaking afterwards, Vasquez, a summer signing from Espanyol, said Los Blancos deserved the week but were made to work hard for it by a strong Celta Vigo side.

“We have to be happy with the win. We found life difficult at the end because of the match we played on Wednesday. It meant that we were more tired, but that’s something we just had to get on and deal with. You also have to give Celta credit. They looked to put us under pressure right to the end on their own ground and we had to dig in, but we got the three points won, which is the main thing. The team are in good form and we have to keep it up,” he told reporters.

And he added: “The team always play on the attack, we had more than 20 attempts on goal and we’ve won the game 3-1. There’s nothing defensive about us. In the first half the team put in a really good display, carving out openings up front and doing well at the back, and that’s what we have to come away with.”

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Casemiro

Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro says the players deserve credit for their win at Celta Vigo.

Los Blancos came away with a 3-1 win that put them top of the table and saw them extend their unbeaten run in all competitions this season to 12 games. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Danilo and Marcelo sealed the points for Rafa Benitez’ team.

Celta had been unbeaten in the league until Saturday and topped the table. After a big trip to Paris in the Champions League this week, a game at Vigo was always going to be tough.

And talking to journalists afterwards, Brazilian Casemiro said the players had to work had for the win.

“We knew that it was going to be a difficult game, because they’re strong at home. The team deserve credit for getting this win. We were tired because we’d played a tough match on Wednesday and this is a hard place to come to, and we were up against a good side who I’m sure will be up there in the table. Hopefully we can win every time out, and can stay unbeaten and top of the league,” he said.

He went on to say that the team must keep working hard if they want to stay on top.

“Now we have to carry on working hard. Since I returned to the club, the backroom team have given me a lot of confidence and that’s important for me. I want to keep on working hard to ensure I’m here for a long time to come,” he commented.

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Spanish football could be facing one of its biggest scandals after a linesman claimed he has been asked to favour Real Madrid during the Clasico match next month.

The Spanish media says the official, who remains anonymous because he fears possible reprisals, has reported the approach to an anti-corruption magistrate, alleging he was told last month to favour Madrid when they face Barcelona.

The Spanish Football Association and the Guardia Civil are investigating the claims, but they could face difficulty proving the claims because no conversation was recorded.

Miguel Cardenal, the Secretary of State for Sport, said the claims are being taken seriously. “This is an extremely serious accusation and is extraordinarily alarming. This needs to be resolved as soon as possible.”

Sonja Monje, Barcelona’s vice-president said she hoped the claims would be taken seriously as the story would “be dangerous in terms of the prestige of La Liga.”

Los Blancos boss Rafa Benitez also told reporters at his press conference that the situation needs to be dealt with, whether the claims are true or not.

“It doesn’t appear to be a genuine complaint but La Liga, the referees’ committee and the other implicated bodies have to get to the bottom of it and if it turns out not to be genuine, these people need to face the consequences. Repeating something that isn’t genuine makes it look like something without any foundation has credibility. If it’s not a genuine complaint, someone needs to face the consequences for these things,” he commented.

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Rafa Benitez congratulated his team on their 3-1 victory over Celta Vigo and defined it as a great team effort.

“This type of matches are very positive for the future, because they make the team stronger,” he said at the press conference.

Asked about the best player of the match, Benitez claimed “the whole team was the best, because after the tough game against Paris Saint-Germain, they were able to suffer against a direct rival for the championship.”

Despite showing a great superiority in the first hour, Real struggled in the final minutes when Celta were down to ten men. Benitez believes the lack of rest after the PSG game was one of the reasons: “I’m sure in the next dates other teams will suffer the problem of having little time to recover from a Champions League match. We have earned three important points against a strong rival and in a very difficult stadium.”

“We have had plenty of occasions today to seal the victory. We have to be satisfied and analyse everything we have not done well, and reinforce the good aspects,” he added.

“It was an attractive game for all fans, due to the number of scoring chances. The way La Liga is right now, Celta will be in the top positions for many dates,” Benitez concluded.

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Real Madrid consolidated their position at the top of the table in La Liga after beating Celta Vigo, who were undefeated before this game. Los Blancos are now the only unbeaten team in Spain, mainly thanks to Keylor Navas superb performance.

Rafa Benitez men played brilliantly during the first 60 minutes, taking the lead with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Danilo. The hosts started playing better when they were down to ten men and Nolito shortened the lead, but Marcelo sealed the victory in the last minute.

Real dominated from the start, playing the game beautifully, controlling possession in midfield and threatening Celta in the wings.

Los Blancos took the lead after just eight minutes, when Vazquez sliced in a superb pass towards Ronaldo. Jonny failed to intercept it and the Portuguese sent a precise shot into the bottom corner to score his sixth goal in the competition.

Marcelo and Danilo found plenty of empty space in the wings to join the attack and they became a major threat for Celta.

Before the half-hour mark, Danilo took advantage of this situation and scored his first official goal for Los Blancos. Jese saw the Brazilian alone on the right side and passed him the ball. Danilo cooly placed it into the near corner.

Right at the start of the second half, Vazquez had a big chance to seal the victory as he dribbled past a defender and found himself in front of the keeper, but he chipped straight into Sergio Alvarez’s hand.

Yet, minutes later, things became much easier for Los Merengue as centre-back Gustavo Cabral was shown a second yellow card for dissent and Celta were down to ten men.

Ronaldo could have scored his second as he broke free inside the box, but his low effort was denied by Sergio Alvarez.

Isco and Ronaldo had chances to make it 3-0, but they missed them and Celta started to gain confidence. The hosts had several chances to score, but Navas was fantastic to deny all of them.

Nolito was brilliant in the second half, leading his team to believe in a comeback. The winger came close to scoring as the dribbled past three defenders and beat Keylor Navas, but Marcelo was on the line to clear the ball.

Yet, Nolito kept trying and he scored a spectacular goal with five minutes to go. The Spaniard sent a sensational strike from the edge of the box straight into the top corner.

Los Blancos failed to control possession in the last minutes and Celta were close to savaging a point. However, in the last minute, Marcelo broke into the box and beat Sergio Alvarez with a low effort to seal the victory.

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Rafa Benitez says his Real Madrid players are expecting a tough match when they take on Celta Vigo this afternoon.

Los Blancos and Celta are both unbeaten in the league after eight games, with the hosts proving to be somewhat of a surprise package so far this campaign.

Benitez will have much the same squad as he did for the midweek match against PSG, with the likes of Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema all still unavailable.

At his press conference ahead of the game, Benitez said: “Celta haven’t been beaten yet and we’re expecting an exciting match. We know it will be an extremely difficult game. They’re a team that like to play high-intensity football and they’ll be feeling confident. They’re going to give it their all against us and will be spurred on even further because of where they are in the table. There’ll be plenty of intensity and excitement and we’ll have to match them in that regard.”

Reports in Spain have suggested the Los Blancos players are unhappy with the medical team at the Santiago Bernabeu believing the injury crisis is not being managed well enough.

But the boss defended his medical department saying: “Yes, I’m happy and satisfied with the work of the medical department. We have top-class specialists and I say that with over 20 years of experience in football. They are capable, eager and dedicated. They have resources and they’re the best I’ve ever worked with.

“The rigours and the high standards of competition can complicate matters and result in players overloading their muscles. There needs to be a distinction between injuries and overloaded muscles.”

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Casemiro

Inter Milan are watching Real Madrid young products very closely, hoping those who don’t get enough minutes of action might seek to leave the Santiago Bernabeu, opening a door for the Italians to bring them.

Italian press reported a few days ago the Neroazzurri are planning to seduce Jese Rodriguez to join them, and now it has been revealed they are also pursuing Casemiro’s signing.

Apparently Roberto Mancini is seeking to reinforce his midfield and he’s written the Brazilian’s name at the top of his wish-list.

The 23-year-old is one of the most promising holding midfielders in Europe. Many expected him to leave on loan this summer, given the high competency for minutes of action in Real Madrid’s midfield. However, he has become a crucial piece of Rafa Benitez’s rotation, even starting in the most important games of the season.

Against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, he put in a superb performance, helping Los Blancos secure one clean sheet more and keep the first position of their Champions League group.

Casemiro was close to completing a loan move to Inter in the summer of 2014, but he ended up signing for Porto, where he spend one successful season before Real Madrid exercised their buy-back option in July 2015.

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Celta Vigo Real Madrid match preview

Real Madrid face one of the toughest games of the La Liga season as they pay a visit to Celta Vigo, a team that is impressing everyone in Spain this year.

Rafa Benitez’s solid defense will be seriously tested against one of the top scoring teams of the competition. Real have only conceded two goals so far this season, and Celta, who have netted 17 so far –only one less than Los Blancos– are threatening to end that good run.

The Los Merengues manager will miss Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Mateo Kovacic, Daniel Carvajal and Pepe. Karim Benzema is a doubt, as he has just returned to regular training after recovering from an injury.

On the other hand, Luka Modric will be available and he is expected to return to the starting eleven, featuring alongside Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Isco in midfield. The only doubt is whether Benitez will opt to line-up Benzema or one of the youngsters –either Jese Rodriguez or Lucas Vazquez.

Eduardo Berizzo has all his men available for the match. His attacking trio will be the major threat for Los Blancos. Nolito, Orellana and Iago Aspas are having a fantastic start to the season and they will look to take over the first position of La Liga by beating Los Blancos.

Both sides have 18 points, but Real Madrid seat first thanks to their better goal average.

Possible line-ups:

Celta Vigo: Sergio Alvarez; Hugo Mallo, Cabral, Sergi Gomez, Jonny; Augusto Fernandez, Pablo Hernandez, Wass; Orellana, Aspas, Nolito.

Real Madrid: Navas; Danilo, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos, Isco; Jese Rodriguez, Ronaldo.

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