Celta boss Claudio Giraldez was left incensed by an unpunished challenge, claiming Manuel Angel fouled Fer Lopez in the build-up to Fede Valverde's match-winning strike.

"I appealed for a foul on Fer; he went in with both legs and took him out. It was remarkably similar to the challenge on Asensio that resulted in a booking earlier," the Celta head coach explained. Giraldez admitted he was "furious" to see his side fall behind to a set-piece for the opening goal.

While acknowledging his team struggled to find their usual rhythm, Giraldez remained proud of their resilience. "We showed we can compete and even win these games," he noted, pointing to Aspas rattling the woodwork as proof that they could have taken more from the game despite not being at their best.

"The expectations surrounding the game made it difficult for us to settle into a low block. You have to accept you will suffer against a side of Real Madrid's quality," he added. "Failing to dictate the tempo drained us psychologically. We started well, and we certainly had more control than we did at the Bernabeu."

Giraldez hailed his players' "immense effort" and urged them to "shake off the disappointment" ahead of Thursday's "highly motivating" Europa League last-16 first leg against Olympique Lyonnais.

"I feel we were hesitant in the first half, largely because Real Madrid changed their usual approach. They typically overload the left, but here they flooded the right, with Vinicius Jr. drifting into central areas," he concluded. "That disrupted our press. We improved after the break, but I have to take responsibility—the tactical shift after the substitutions didn't work. We lost our energy and our structure. This defeat stings."

Fer López

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