By JOSEPH WILSON
BARCELONA, Spain: Toni Kroos' late score ensured Real Madrid won its home opener over a feisty Celta Vigo 2-1 in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Kroos drilled a long-range shot along the turf and in off the post for the 81st-minute winner.
Playing without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, Madrid took an hour to break through when Alvaro Morata scored a rebound from a save by goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez.
Celta midfielder Fabian Orellana responded with an equalizer seven minutes later.
"We believed until the end and pulled it off," Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. "We played a so-so match. Celta was a very good team."
While Madrid's Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, and Morata all hit the woodwork, Celta squandered dangerous moves that it continued to mount until the final whistle. The visitors only lacked the scoring touch that new Manchester City forward Manuel "Nolito" Agudo provided for the previous three seasons.
"We played one of our best matches at this stadium," Celta manager Eduardo Berizzo said. "I liked our attitude. We were able to take the game to them. This is an example to others who face opponents that belong to another category."
Madrid has won its first two matches of the Liga. Celta has lost both, although the team improved greatly after a disappointing season debut.
Elsewhere, Valencia slumped to a second consecutive loss to start the season after falling at Eibar 1-0, while Real Sociedad got on track by winning at Osasuna 2-0.
Valencia's latest defeat comes with the club close to selling Germany defender Shkodran Mustafi to Arsenal, and Barcelona negotiating to sign away striker Paco Alcacer. Neither player was on Valencia's team at Eibar.
Celta's five-man midfield led by Orellana caused Madrid trouble throughout the game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Theo Bongonda went the closest to scoring for Celta in the first half when he won possession, hurdled a tackle, and fired into the side netting of Kiko Casilla's goal.
Missing firepower up front, Zidane turned to Luka Modric for Madrid's biggest threat. The Croatia midfielder tested Alvarez with long strikes, hitting the bar in near the half-hour mark.
To start the second half, Celta mounted three attacks in a row that lacked only a final, precise pass to put Casilla under pressure.
That's when Bale took a step forward, blasting a free kick that Alvarez pushed onto his bar before Morata put the hosts ahead.
Modric cued the opening goal by intercepting a poor pass by Alvarez, who then blocked Marco Asensio's weak effort. Morata was there to fire in the rebound for his first goal since returning from Juventus this summer.
Morata hit the upright moments later, then Celta equalized. The ball went through Pablo Hernandez, Daniel Wass and John Guidetti before Orellana beat Casilla from distance with a right-footed shot into the corner of the net.
Kroos got the decisive strike, but Celta went close to grabbing a second goal in a back-and-forth exchange in the dying minutes.
Zidane also said that Colombia midfielder James Rodriguez, who has lost his starting role, will remain at the club despite rumors of his exit.
A minute of silence was held before kickoff in memory of the earthquake victims in Italy.
Atletico Madrid visited Leganes late.
Barcelona plays at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
AP
