Dial M for murder: grandad Modric saves nervous Royals

The current Real Madrid squad is star-studded, packed with sensational players like Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Camavinga, Tchouameni... Yet, it had to be an almost 40-year-old to come on from the bench on Saturday night to connect those super-talented dots and save the Royals from what could have been a dreadful draw.

Carlo Ancelotti's side was struggling against Celta, and were in a stalemate as the match was reaching its final third.

After Mbappe's amazing first-half opener, the home team responded with lots of courage and bounced back through Swedberg's equalizer six minutes into the second half.

The atmosphere got heated, and it seemed like the keys of the game were not in Los Blancos' hands anymore.

Thankfully for the defending champions of La Liga, Ancelotti is wise enough to know the years are just a number. And that he has the man capable of turning things around sitting close to him.

With 1-1 on the scoreboard and only 27 minutes left on the clock, he subbed off Fede Valverde, opting for Luka Modric.

The Croatian ace delivered his brilliant skill almost instantly - just three minutes later, the 39-year-old midfielder sent a jaw-dropping through ball to Vinicius Jr, putting the ball on the plate for the Brazilian striker, who showed no mercy in front of the rival's keeper to make it 2-1.

Although Celta had a few more chances to hurt the nervous favourites, Madrid and their keeper Courtois kept calm and, with a tad bit of luck, won this critical away game to keep their title race on track.

LA LIGA - MATCHDAY 10

Friday

Alaves - Valladolid 2-3 (1-1)

/Martinez 6, Garcia 90+7 - Sylla 17 pen, Amallah 72 pen, Anuar 76/

Saturday

Ath.Bilbao - Espanyol 4-1 (3-0)

/Vivian 6, Williams I. 28, 30, Berenguer 55 - Tejero 90+2/

Osasuna - Betis 1-2 (0-1)

/Torro 59 - Vitor Roque 7, Avila 73/

Girona - Sociedad 0-1 (0-1)

/Oyarzabal 44/

Celta - Real Madrid 1-2 (0-1)

/Swedberg 51 - Mbappe 20, Vinicius Jr 66/

Sunday

15:00: (2.15) Mallorca (3.20) Rayo Vallecano (4.00)

17:15: (1.35) Atl.Madrid (4.60) Leganes (10.5)

19:30: (1.78) Villareal (3.50) Getafe (4.80)

22:00: (1.32) Barcelona (5.60) Sevilla (8.50)

Monday

22:00: (1.80) Valencia (3.60) Las Palmas (5.10)

***odds are subject to change***