The news that Vinicius Junior had signed a new deal with Real Madrid that would keep him at the club for another five years was enough to make Real Madrid fans excited.
There was no wonder that the joy was untrammeled. He's a Madrid boy, even though he hails from Rio de Janeiro state.
He left his poor upbringing behind. Some of the racism that is directed at him in Spain is masked by his constant joy. Most of the grounds he plays in are lit up by him. This is the one that's the most important.
Vinicius Junior missed a sitter in the first half against Celtic, but he found the back of the net after the break. It was a reward for all the work Real had done. He was a constant menace for most of the night, a player who must be a nightmare to defend against.
He has company in that as well. Luka Modric was very well rounded. The man was called a rock by the person. The recent claim by Modric that he is "top three in the world" was given further credence by the fact that he is a man of 24 years old.
The bookmaker made Real fifth in the betting to retain their title, which is a great achievement. Either did or did not. It's a crazy thing.
They built their lead with two penalties in the first 21 minutes, but both of them were incorrect. There was no Real player in the creation. One was a ball by Matt O'Riley and the other was a ball by MoritzJenz.
When Josip Juranovic missed from the spot when it was still 2-0, everything that Ange Postecoglou had done in the build-up was ruined.
Thibaut Courtois looked like the size of a house when he looked down from the Gods at the Real Madrid stadium. He's 6 feet 7 inches tall. He appeared to be eight feet tall. The main goal was to get him to the wrong place. The man didn't. The Croat was in a lot of trouble once Courtois realized his intentions.
There are a lot of missed opportunities. Celtic played a part in the contest, once again, despite the emphatic final score.
They didn't lose a game because of wastefulness, but it did add to their frustration. They got a crumb from Jota's late free- kick. It would have little effect on the bottom line if the Portuguese had played from the beginning.
In a stadium that's a construction site, on a pitch showing the scorch marks of the extreme heat of August, Celtic's story ended as it began. There was no plot twist at the end.
It was a tale of missed opportunities and severe punishment. They lost again.
They might think about launching rockets from the halfway line when they finish the redesign work at the Bernabeu. The retractable roof will allow the pitch to be stored underground.
The ground will allow it to swallow the opposition. In the past, how many visiting teams wanted that option? There will be more to come. It was Celtic who suffered in the here and now.
This is the same sport they play in Scotland, but in other ways it is alien territory. They don't get punished for their mistakes in the top flight. But in Europe's premier club competition? Did you mean in Madrid? Is it possible to beat the champion angered by a loss last week? Don't even think about it.
The Real team seems hungry. The winning medals of the starting XI show more silverware than any other club. That's not counting domestic cups,Europa Leagues and other baubles. The machine is a winner.
When talking about the best football players in Europe, he's definitely one of them. He assisted on the fifth goal and was involved in the build-up to the third goal.
Since hitting the cross that Vinicius tucked away to win the title, he has become a sensation. The player who failed to score in La Liga last season had only found the net six times before the start of this season.
Carlo Ancelotti said in the summer that if he couldn't get a player of Valverde's caliber to score at least 10 goals a season then he would give up management. The man is on eight. The Real coach doesn't need to worry. He's still working for a while.
Celtic didn't want to live with this. Real would still have found extra gears to drive away from them even if they suddenly became ruthless goal scoring machines. The team is capable of that in their stadium that will cost close to a billion dollars.
Celtic gave up five on the night. That is how difficult the league is.
They will retreat to Scotland where they will be kings again. They need to get back on this stage in the future.
Celtic have to be in this competition to progress. They will be desperate to get back in the classroom. The masters have a lot to learn.
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