Real Madrid 5-2 Celta Vigo: Endrick the unexpected hero on a busy night at the Bernabeu

Real Madrid responded to the painful 5-2 Supercopa de Espana final defeat to Barcelona on Sunday by winning by a scoreline of their own in their next game – but despite the wide final margin of victory, it was not all smooth sailing.

Madrid first qualified for the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey after squandering a two-goal lead given to them by Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, who needed extra time to win after leading Celta Vigo 2-0 after 80 minutes . The first collapse sparked angry reactions from the Bernabeu crowd, who had started the night booing their team.

“It was a wake-up call that we accept,” manager Carlo Ancelotti said. – When the match was almost over, we gave away two goals. In extra time, we reacted well.”

Endrick, still struggling to adapt to life in La Liga after last summer’s transfer from Palmeiras, played a huge part with a spectacular brace with Federico Valverde scoring a rocket in between. The 18-year-old Brazilian was assisted for both goals by Arda Guler, something that will please club president Florentino Perez, who is keen for the two youngsters to play a more prominent role.

AthleticsMario Cortegana witnessed the frenzy from the press box and explores the key moments here…

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Emotional roller coaster at the Bernabeu

Madrid fans were vocal in their indignation at last Sunday’s 5-2 drubbing of Barca in the Supercopa.

The Bernabeu is considered by many to be the most demanding crowd in the world of football, and the whistle was blown last night already during the warm-up before the match. The first flashpoint came moments before kick-off when the players’ names were read over the public address system.

The highest decibel levels were hit when the speaker got to Aurelien Tchouameni and manager Ancelotti. The incident continued with Ferland Mendy, a substitute, Lucas Vazquez and even, albeit very timidly, Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian appeared to have won over any doubters when he was substituted at the break in extra-time, receiving huge affection from the crowd despite missing a one-on-one that would have made it 3-0 and definitely put the game to bed.

“It wasn’t easy psychologically,” a club source said Athletics after the match. “Because of the stick from the other day, the rare atmosphere in the stadium and the game against a good opponent.”

The team’s improved display in the second half brought peace, with the crowd even relaxing enough to ‘pay tribute’ to legendary former player Marcelo, who was watching in a private box with his two sons – one of them, Enzo, a promising academy striker.

But Celta’s first goal led to a comeback which only picked up with the Galicians’ equalizer eight minutes later. The atmosphere suddenly became incredibly full and tense.

At least until Endrick’s intervention…

Endrick, the unexpected hero

Endrick spent Christmas in Madrid during La Liga’s winter break instead of going home to Brazil and focused on preparations for the European champions’ first game in the Copa del Rey, where he would be a starter. But the match against fourth-tier Deportiva Minera did not go well, with the youngster looking anxious and frustrated and failing to score any of his side’s five goals.

Rumors of a possible January departure surfaced, but as Athletics reported, it is not an option the player or club have considered. This summer, the situation will be reviewed and the best decision sought.

Given all that, and his introduction on 79 minutes with Madrid 2-0 up, it didn’t feel very likely that he would end up a hero.

In the 108th minute, assisted by his friend Guler, he turned in a tight space and struck a sweetly struck shot into the bottom corner – a classic striker move. He was overjoyed and ran to the corner, took off and threw his undershirt and shirt in the air before his knee slid to the corner flag.

“I don’t know what to say, these two goals are for Antonio Rudiger, who knows what he does with me every day,” Endrick said on Real Madrid TV. “He never praises me, but that’s not bad, that’s good. He’s been a great person since I’ve been here.”

“Hard work pays off. You deserve this little brother,” Rudiger, Madrid’s German centre-back, later wrote in an Instagram post.

And there was another glimpse of a natural striker: at a corner, Endrick found the ball in the six-yard box, didn’t control it perfectly and had to produce a spectacular backheel to make it 5-2. It was a move reminiscent of one by his idol Cristiano Ronaldo against Rayo Vallecano in 2012.

“I didn’t look at the goal, I think it was God,” Endrick said later in the mixed zone.

Before yesterday, the former Palmeiras star had played just 160 minutes across 16 games for Madrid and fans were clamoring for him to get more opportunities, but the player himself made a point of adapting to his coach’s thinking: “I didn’t have expected more. Carletto (Ancelotti) does what he does, which is not what’s best for Endrick, but what’s best for the team.”

When “Carletto” was asked at the press conference if he was a little hard on the Brazilian or on the 19-year-old Guler, his answer was cutting: “Endrick already answered you. I don’t need to repeat it.”

Tchouamenis resurgence

With the Frenchman heavily criticized for his mistakes in the Barcelona defeat, Ancelotti had defended Tchouameni in his pre-match media session on Wednesday: “I remain convinced that he has done well as a centre-back, that’s what the data shows. But I am aware that it is not his ideal position”.

With academy product Raul Asencio in the lineup against Celta, the Italian moved Tchouameni back to his more normal position in midfield.

But the 24-year-old still had to bear the brunt of the criticism from his own fans, who weighed heavily on him. He was whistled into action with almost every touch in the first half, something previously unheard of at the Bernabeu.

Luka Modric cheered him on and offered a high-five on a couple of occasions, while Dani Ceballos asked for applause from the crowd after a stunning strike from his under-fire team-mate.

Tchouameni’s most critical moments came with two dangerous and unnecessary losses of possession, but just before the break he started to improve. He made two recoveries which were celebrated by supporters who saw him limping into the dressing room and talking to a member of the medical staff as the teams went down the tunnel for the break.

That was as far as his sorrow went, and from then on it was justification. The whistles faded in the second half, with several key interceptions much appreciated by the fans.

Ancelotti praised Tchouameni’s step forward, typical of a “character player”, adding: “The team reacted well (to the whistle), especially Tchouameni, who played a great game.”

When the referee blew for the end of the tie, Tchouameni left the field quickly, though not before stopping to give his shirt to a fan.

“What doesn’t kill you…” he later wrote on Instagram.

(Top photo: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)