Arbeloa Praises Real Madrid’s Character in Narrow Victory Over Celta Vigo
Vigo, Spain – Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Celta Vigo at Balaídos on Friday, March 6, 2026, in a LaLiga match that tested the resilience of Álvaro Arbeloa’s squad. Despite being without ten players, Los Blancos managed to secure three crucial points, moving them closer to league leaders Barcelona.
A Battle at Balaídos
Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the 11th minute, but Celta Vigo responded through Borja Iglesias, leveling the score. The decisive goal came in the final minute of the match from Federico Valverde, sealing the win for the visitors.
Arbeloa Highlights Team Spirit
Speaking after the match, Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa emphasized the significance of the victory given the challenging circumstances. He expressed his admiration for the players’ determination and character.
“Today, we came here with 10 absent players, if I’m not mistaken and the performance shown by the players on a field like this deserves a lot of praise,” Arbeloa stated, as quoted on the Real Madrid website. Source
He continued, “We all know how hard and difficult Balaídos is and how Celta are playing football these days, with the confidence they have. So I’m very happy, especially for the personalities, for the players who want to come and fight in difficult times to perform optimally.”
Arbeloa added, “As I said yesterday, these are the moments when you see real Real Madrid players, and today I saw a lot of them.”
Title Race Heats Up
This win brings Real Madrid to 63 points, just one point behind Barcelona in the LaLiga standings. The race for the title remains tight with 33 points still up for grabs.
Arbeloa Focused on Each Match
When questioned about the team’s objectives, Arbeloa stated, “We play to win the match, which is what Real Madrid plays for. That’s what we want and the goal we had today.” Source
Selection Crisis Continues
Real Madrid is currently grappling with a significant injury and suspension crisis. Dean Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras, and Franco Mastantuono are all suspended, while Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo are among the injured players. Source Rodrygo is out for the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL and meniscus. Source