Real Madrid dropped La Liga points for just the second time this season at home to Girona earlier today in a dramatic match that resulted in legendary German midfielder Toni Kroos’ first career red card.
Without the injured Karim Benzema, Carlo Ancelotti’s side laboured to a 1-1 draw against the relegation-threatened side but are still top of the table ahead of arch-rivals Barcelona.
Vinicius Jr opened the scoring for Real after 70 minutes but Girona persevered and got themselves an equaliser through a Cristhian Stuani penalty, which resulted from VAR checking a Marco Asensio handball.
Rodrygo looked to have won the points late on but he was judged to have fired home while goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga had control of the ball after an initial shot was saved.
The drama continued into injury time when Kroos picked up his first-ever red card for a second bookable offence, which is remarkable considering he’s played hundreds of matches in midfield starring for Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Germany across a 15-year span.
It all comes ahead of Celtic’s final Champions League test of the season on Wednesday night.
After a disappointing group stage campaign that had confirmed a fourth-placed finish, the Bhoys have one last chance this year to show they can compete at the elite level.
The match may not mean anything in terms of Celtic progression but, with a couple of million pounds on the line and our developing squad still learning at this level, it still carries some importance.
Real Madrid won’t make it easy either considering they’ve yet to confirm a first-placed finish, albeit are guaranteed a spot in the last 16. Travelling to the home of the reigning European champions will be immensely difficult.
With thousands of Celtic fans travelling to Spain it’s sure to be a fun week for many regardless, and let’s hope today’s draw is a good omen for Ange Postecoglou’s team to pick up a famous shock result!
In other news, Former Celtic coach lands new role at Championship side.
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