Real Madrid vs. Celta Vigo: Score, Reaction from 2016 La Liga Match

Cristiano Ronaldo struck four goals to fire back at his critics and help Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo 7-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. Pepe had given Madrid a first-half lead, before Ronaldo exploded in the second half after taking some flack from the home crowd.

Jese and the returning Gareth Bale also got on the scoresheet, while Iago Aspas provided Celta's only goal.

The win keeps Los Blancos clinging on in the title race, but it has damaged Vigo's bid to get back in the hunt for fourth place and qualification for next season's UEFA Champions League.

Ronaldo led a forward line that also featured 18-year-old Borja Mayoral, per the club:

This was the Celta starting XI, per Celta De Vigo UK:

A pretty tepid first half saw Pepe head home to give Madrid an undeserved lead. The visitors had been smart and quick on the break and were generally in control at the back until Pepe made the most of a corner.

As OptaJose noted, the veteran Portuguese centre-back remains deadly from set pieces:

Despite stumbling through the opening half, Madrid made a fast start after the break. But the home supporters weren't too impressed with some of Ronaldo's contributions, according to ESPN's Dermot Corrigan:

But the Portuguese powerhouse provided an emphatic rebuttal to the boo boys when he found space in the middle and unleashed a hammer blow of a shot from distance to double Real's lead.

Madrid's No. 7 then made it clear he hadn't forgotten those earlier jeers:

Ronaldo went one better when he smashed home a trademark free-kick to get his brace. A simpler finish was needed to complete the hat-trick, with the attacking talisman tapping in from very close range.

In between, Aspas found the net for bewildered Celta. Corrigan described the finish:

But that was the only plus point of the day for Vigo, once Ronaldo found the net for a fourth time. After doing the spectacular earlier, he simply headed home from a corner to wrap up the quartet.

Goals from Jese and substitute Bale completed Los Merengues' rout.

Post-Match Reaction

Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane was full of praise for Ronaldo:

But the Frenchman also defended the fans his free-scoring forward had found difficult to please early on:

Zidane also commented on Bale's contribution, as well as on the former Tottenham Hotspur star's readiness for the rest of the season:

Celta chief Eduardo Berizzo struggled to make sense of what he saw after the break, according to Sid Lowe of the Guardian:

Worryingly, Berizzo suggested his players might have given up on the pitch:

Big wins at home have been common under Zidane, as Squawka noted:

But few would have expected this scoreline based on the way the first half unfolded. Los Blancos have served notice they are not out of the title race just yet.

As for Celta, their season appears in tatters after this drubbing.