Real Madrid: 3 bright spots from 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo

Real Madrid couldn’t secure all three points at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, but there were still some praiseworthy performances in their 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo.

Every game counts in the tight title race with FC Barcelona, who are still hanging in there despite recent injuries to star forwards Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele. Since they are now allowed to sign an emergency option, Real Madrid must be even warier of their rivals from Catalunya, especially with the second Clasico of the season looming in March.

Before then, Real Madrid must face Levante in La Liga and Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Neither will be easy fixtures, especially after Los Blancos struggled at home against Celta Vigo, drawing 2-2 with the relegation candidates.

Still, there were some bright spots even in the midst of a disappointing result in front of the home fans. Here were three of them, with a spotlight on Eden Hazard in his return from a serious ankle injury.

CDM Casemiro

Casemiro is Mr. Consistent for Real Madrid. In a game in which the back four struggled, Casemiro stood out as the best defensive player against a finely-tuned Celta Vigo side. The Brazilian midfielder completed 91.8% of his passes, had 107 touches alongside Toni Kroos‘ 105, and won a team-high six aerial duels.

Defensively, the world’s best defensive midfielder was as solid as ever. He had a couple of tackles and made smart fouls for Los Blancos, doing his best to disrupt Celta’s counterattack attempts. Casemiro wasn’t elite on this day, but he turned in another positive performance.

LW Eden Hazard

Clearly the best player on the pitch for either team, Eden Hazard deserved to be on the winning side in this game. Real Madrid’s star man was dazzling on the ball, working hard for his team to create chances, including one clear-cut opportunity for the woefully wasteful Gareth Bale.

Hazard was impossible to stop, playing brilliant one-twos with Karim Benzema. He didn’t show any signs of rust in his first game back from a multi-month absence, taking ahold of a tough Celta three-man back. Hazard was the only truly threatening player for Los Blancos and won the penalty for what should have been the winning goal.

The Belgian winger drew two fouls, recorded two successful dribbles, and led the team with three key passes. He was the real chance-creator on Sunday night.

CM Toni Kroos

With Fede Valverde and Casemiro starting, Toni Kroos was the most attacking midfielder in the Real Madrid lineup. He didn’t have the most incisive day at the office, but he scored the equalizer for Madrid off a wonderful, trademark first-time finesse shot into the left side of the net after Karim Benzema and Marcelo did oh-so-well to set up the chance.

Kroos made his usual mark on the game with his pinpoint passing, including one jaw-dropping lofted ball to Benzema in the six-yard boss. It’s amazing how Kroos can send passes on a dime, whether on the ground or in the air.

He also worked hard defensively, putting in a team-high four successful tackles.