James Rodriguez had the last laugh in a thrilling first half as Real Madrid secured a 3-2 half-time lead over Celta Vigo at Balaidos tonight.
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Carlo Ancelotti's side came into the contest knowing that victory was essential in order to keep the pressure on Barcelona, who moved five points clear at the summit yesterday. However, Nolito opened the scoring on 10 minutes with a goal that would have been celebrated just as passionately some 1000km away in Catalunya.
The 28-year-old broke into double figures for the season when he danced in between a couple of defenders before firing past the unsighted Iker Casillas to give Celta a shock lead.
It was the wake-up call that Los Blancos needed as Real flipped the game on its head within 14 minutes of the opener, with Toni Kroos levelling up six minutes after the opener with a neat finish following good work from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Javier Hernandez, who fired Real into the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday, replicated those heroics to give his side the lead, combining well with James before finding the net from an acute angle.
In an end-to-end encounter, the pendulum then swung in Celta's favour once more, as Santi Mina tapped into an empty net after his initial effort came back off the post to draw level in an exhilarating clash.
Hernandez turned provider in the closing stages as the visitors looked to snatch a half-time lead, but after latching on to the Mexican's ball, Ronaldo could only find the post.
However, James was on hand in the dying stages to re-establish the lead with a deflected effort.
Shane Callaghan
