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Real Madrid fans online were unhappy with Fran Garcia's display during their LaLiga encounter against Celta Vigo on Sunday, December 7. The Spaniard received his marching orders while Los Blancos were trailing, and this arguably contributed to their 2-0 loss to Célticos.
After league leaders Barcelona beat Real Betis 5-3 on Saturday, Los Blancos needed a win to close the gap in the title race. However, they failed to take the lead in the first half against Celta Vigo as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius, and Jude Bellingham all wasted clear-cut chances to put the hosts ahead.
The encounter took an unexpected turn when Williot Swedberg gave Celta Vigo the lead in the 53rd minute. The forward flicked his effort into the back of the net after receiving a pass from Bryan Zaragoza.
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Fran Garcia was sent off in the 64th minute after he received two yellow cards in the space of one minute. The defender initially fouled Swedberg and subsequently sent Sergio Carreira to the ground, leading to his dismissal.
Real Madrid kept on fighting to bring the encounter on level terms despite Garcia's red card. However, they failed to hit the target as Celta Vigo switched to a more defensive setup.
Alvaro Carreras was also issued a red card for criticizing the referee's decision in added time (90+2’). One minute later, Swedberg dribbled past Thibaut Courtois and placed the ball in the back of the net to seal the 2-0 win for Celta Vigo.
Fran Garcia won two out of five ground duels contested, registered two interceptions, and lost possession of the ball five times (via Sofascore). However, his poor decision-making making which contributed to the defeat, was heavily criticized after the encounter.
Real Madrid fans also took to X to share their thoughts about Garcia's performance, with one tweeting:
"Fran Garcia needs his contract terminated."
"Whoooooo ??? Man Fuck Fran Garcia he should’ve been binned in the summer."
"The referee's decisions drove us crazy" Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso on the officiating in their loss to Celta Vigo
Los Blancos manager Xabi Alonso has revealed that Alejandro Quintero's refereeing decision in their 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo was annoying. He further stated that he disliked the performance of the referee during the encounter.
In an interview after Real Madrid were defeated by Celta Vigo, Alonso said (via Madrid Universal):
"The referee's decisions drove us crazy. The red to Carreras was something he was clearly looking for. He let Celta waste time, never even warned them about it, kept stopping play everytime...I hated his performance."
Two Real Madrid players were sent off similarly during the encounter. However, Alonso seemed to be unhappy with that of Carreras, who was sent off for protesting about a decision by the referee. Amidst the discussions about the game, leaders Barcelona (40) are four points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid (36) in the title race.
