If Barca win, we'll congratulate them, and if they don't, we'll stay in the fight: Real's Ancelotti

Defending champions Real Madrid may well lose the LaLiga title race to archrivals Barcelona tonight, but Los Blancos were happy to keep the fight alive for another day with a last-gasp 2-1 home win over Mallorca on Wednesday.

Barcelona are at the top of the table, four points ahead of Real Madrid with a game in hand, and can win their 28th LaLiga title if they beat Espanyol tonight.

The only scenario in which Real still manage to win the league is if Barca go on to lose all three of their remaining matches -- away to Espanyol tonight, at home against Villarreal, and away to Athletic Club in the next two game weeks -- and Real win both of their remaining games -- away to Sevilla and at home against Real Sociedad.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was happy to keep their slim hopes alive.

"We want to do our job, which is to win the next matches and see what happens. Our task today was not to give away the league. They'll have to play tomorrow [tonight]. Anything can happen in football. If they win, we'll congratulate them, and if they don't, we'll stay in the fight," Ancelotti said after a dramatic winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time from academy centre back Jacobo Ramon helped Real Madrid beat Mallorca yesterday.

Ancelotti also heaped praise on his young players.

"We didn't give up despite having 12 players injured, something that is very rare," he said.

"The match was won thanks to a good attitude from the team and the players who came in and delivered a good performance. I've never seen a team shoot 40 times at goal like we did today.

"We have covered so many absentees with an extraordinary effort by all the players who did step foot on the pitch today. If we had done it in more games with this same attitude throughout the season, it would have been a better campaign."

Ancelotti confirmed on Monday that he would be leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season to take over the vacant Brazil national team job.

The Italian, however, said his focus would remain in the Spanish capital until May 26, when he travels to Rio de Janeiro to start his new role with the five-time World Cup champions.

"Whenever I've sat on the Real Madrid bench at the Santiago Bernabeu it's always been special for me," Ancelotti said.

"I leave with the peace of mind and the serenity of having done what I have been able to do, that my team tries to win until the last minute, as we did today.

"We believe in doing our thing, in winning what's left and seeing what happens. They have to lose, but anything can happen. We will fight."