The curtain finally fell on Real Madrid midfield maestro Luka Modric's superlative career at the club after a drubbing by Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey, but in years to come, that will be forgotten.
Luka Modric's illustrious Real Madrid career ended with a painful 4-0 thrashing by Paris St Germain in the Club World Cup semifinals but the Croatian maestro's legacy stretches far beyond a single game, manager Xabi Alonso said.
Xabi Alonso is looking forward to "starting from scratch" with Real Madrid next season after being thrown in at the deep end as coach of the Spanish giants in the Club World Cup.
Fabian Ruiz scored twice as European champions Paris Saint-Germain turned on the style in their reunion with Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday, thrashing Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup to set up a final showdown with Chelsea.
New signing Joao Pedro scored twice on his first start as Chelsea eased to a 2-0 win over Fluminense on Tuesday to seal a spot in the final of the Club World Cup.
Alonso's side find themselves in the semi-finals despite Mbappe still not having started a game at the tournament.
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said superstar striker Kylian Mbappe is "better" ahead of the Club World Cup quarter-final clash against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, but would not confirm if the Frenchman will start.
It was an impressive display from Xabi Alonso's Madrid side and adding to a positive day, Kylian Mbappe made his return from illness, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for his first appearance of the tournament.
From Inter Miami's Lionel Messi facing former side Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid meeting Juventus and Chelsea taking on Benfica, here is how the last 16 of the Club World Cup have shaped up:
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti on Wednesday demanded a rapid reaction from his team after their capitulation against rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Alejandro Balde were all on target before halftime, after French forward Kylian Mbappe put Real in front in the fifth minute. Raphinha grabbed another in the second half while Rodrygo scored for Real.
Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half.
LaLiga leaders Real recovered from that setback and are on a five-match winning streak ahead of defending the Super Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but coach Carlo Ancelotti is cautious.
Last season, around this time, there was a surprise package in Girona in the top three of LaLiga. However, a year later, the Spanish league has returned to the status quo, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid -- the three giants of Spain -- occupying the top three spots on the table at the end of 2024.
Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo scored second-half goals to help Real to a 3-0 win over Mallorca after Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in the other last-four clash.
"Our player Luka Modric is out of the game against Mallorca today because of a viral illness," said the Spanish champions in a statement.
The Brazilian winger was dismissed in Madrid's 2-1 victory on Friday for pushing Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski in the back of the neck.
"(Luka) is a gift for football and even more for those who can enjoy it up close," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "The fans, the players, the coach... for me it's a great gift. The way he prepares for this kind of match, as if it was a final. It's a very important example for our youngsters.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Sunday it would be "difficult" to be Vinicius Junior after the player was sent off against Valencia.
