Real Madrid have maintained their winning start to the Primera Division season with a narrow 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo at the Bernabeu this evening.
The hosts needed an 81st-minute winner from Toni Kroos to wrap up the points after Fabian Orellana had cancelled out Alvaro Morata's opener earlier in the second half.
Madrid came within inches of breaking the deadlock shortly before the half-hour mark when Luka Modric let fly from the edge of the box, but with the keeper beaten the ball crashed off the crossbar.
Modric threatened once more shortly afterwards having again found shooting space just outside the area, but this time Sergio Alvarez got across to make a good low stop and keep the scores level.
Still without talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, clear-cut chances were tough to come by for Madrid in the Spanish capital, but it was another one of Los Blancos' superstars who almost found the breakthrough 10 minutes into the second half when Gareth Bale's free kick was parried away by Alvarez.
The opening goal did finally arrive just before the hour mark, though, as Morata scored his first Madrid goal since returning to the club from Juventus this summer, calmly stroking a loose ball home after Alvarez had denied Marco Asensio moments earlier.
One almost became two for the returning Spain international just four minutes later, but for the second time in the match the hosts were thwarted by the woodwork as Morata's effort came back off the post.
Those near misses looked like proving costly when Celta levelled things up just seven minutes after falling behind courtesy of a fine strike from Orellana, who curled a 25-yard effort into the top corner and past a helpless Kiko Casilla.
Bale almost made it three in two games when his header 10 minutes from time was kept out by Alvarez, but there was nothing the Celta keeper could do to keep out Kroos's winner just a minute later.
The German ran onto a square ball just outside the area before passing the ball perfectly into the bottom corner with a trademark finish to earn all three points for his side.
Barney Corkhill
