Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde. (AP Photo/Lalo R. Villar)

Federico Valverde’s heavily deflected 95th-minute drive snatched injury-hit Real Madrid a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo in La Liga on Friday.The Uruguayan midfielder needed a stroke of fortune at the death to pull his team to within one point of leaders Barcelona, who visit Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring for Los Blancos early on but Borja Iglesias soon pulled Celta level at their Balaidos stadium.Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid, without injured striker Kylian Mbappe, had lost their previous two league games and are struggling to find consistent form.Valverde’s shot, which flew into Celta’s net after bouncing off former Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso, stopped his side going three consecutive La Liga matches without a win.“There’s a long way to go in La Liga, a lot of points left to play for… at this point it’s almost like La Liga has not started yet,” Arbeloa told reporters.“Every game you’re playing against a team that has their own objectives and each game will be a war.“We came here with 10 players out so I think our win deserves a lot of credit.”As well as French superstar Mbappe, the team’s top goalscorer, Arbeloa was without several other players including Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes and Eduardo Camavinga.Despite the victory, Madrid’s form and their injury list does not inspire confidence ahead of next week’s Champions League last 16 clash against Manchester City.Arbeloa started 18-year-old midfielder Thiago Pitarch for the first time and he offered a decent display even as his team failed to impress.Iglesias forced Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois into a solid low save with a drive from the edge of the box in the opening exchanges.Arbeloa’s side started well and Vinicius Junior struck the post before Tchouameni put them ahead in the 11th minute.The French midfielder produced a fine finish from the edge of the box as Madrid worked a corner to him, his strike hitting the upright on its way in.Celta were not discouraged though and some poor defending from Trent Alexander-Arnold let them back in.The England international allowed Williot Swedberg to get in behind him and then lacked the agility to block off the Swede, who cut the ball across for Iglesias to finish.Hard-fought winCourtois made a good save to keep Swedberg at bay before the break, as sixth-place Celta largely gave as good as they got.Madrid appealed for a penalty when Ferran Jutgla handled the ball in the box, but a VAR review showed there was a push on a Celta defender just before and no spot kick was awarded.Celta substitute Iago Aspas hit the post late on and it seemed like his team were destined for a point as the clock ticked down.However in the final minute of stoppage time Valverde’s effort from the edge of the box hit Alonso and left Celta goalkeeper Ionut Radu wrong-footed.“We hardly gave up any chances, and the shot at the end was well defended, so we’re a bit annoyed (to lose),” Iglesias told Movistar.Arbeloa said he hoped Madrid’s determination to claim the three points could be a platform to build from going forward.“I know we can do a lot of things better, but with the personality and character we showed today, I hope that this is a turning point and from here everything goes a lot better,” added Arbeloa.

Real Madrid defeated Benfica 2-1 on Wednesday night and 3-1 on aggregate to book their place in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. But the score does not tell the full story of how dramatic the match was.

Benfica started strongly and shocked the home crowd in the 14th minute. Rafa Silva scored the opener. However, the response from Madrid was immediate. Just two minutes later, Aurelien Tchouameni scored with a precise shot from the edge. The goal restored Madrid’s aggregate lead and brought life back to Bernabeu.

The game continued at a high tempo. Arda Guler scored in the 32nd minute, but the goal was disallowed for a very close offside. Benfica kept fighting and even hit the crossbar later in the second half. Madrid also suffered a big blow when Raul Asencio had to be taken off on a stretcher after a painful aerial clash with teammate Eduardo Camavinga.

Then came the moment that many were waiting for. Vinicus Junior’s revenge moment after all the controversy and tension from the first leg. In the 80th minute, Federico Valverde provided a perfect assist to Vini Jr on the counterattack. The Brazilian winger curled a beautiful shot into the bottom corner to make it 2-1. It was his second goal of the tie, after scoring the winner in the first leg as well.

This goal felt special because Vinicius had alleged that he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni in the first leg, an accusation that Prestianni denied. UEFA later suspended Prestianni for this match after his appeal was dismissed. With everything that happened, Vinicius’ goal felt like a revenge on the pitch.

After the match, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa praised the Brazilian star. He said Vinicius deserved the goal and highlighted how important he has become for the team, especially in the absence of Kylian Mbappe.

“I’m happy for the great goal he scored, because he deserves it and for the form he’s in. Without Mbappé, he is even more important, and I’m very happy for him because I think he truly deserves it,” Arbeloa said after the match.

Meanwhile, Tchouameni, who was named Man of the Match, also spoke after the match. He said the team did not start well but always believed they would score. He added that the squad must defend better and start games stronger in the future.

“The truth is, we didn’t start the match very well, but we had the confidence that we would score goals. Then we did things a little better. Those who came on later and the young players from Castilla contributed very well to the match. Now we will keep moving forward. We need to adjust a bit how we defend and start matches better. In the end, we won, which is the most important thing,” Tchouameni said.

Real Madrid will now wait to see if they will face Sporting CP or Manchester City in the Champions League Round of 16, the draw for which will take place on Friday.