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 are on a mission to clinch their 15th UEFA Champions League title but face Bayern Munich in a high-voltage clash in the semifinals of the competition. Can Bayern stop Real in their tracks? Real, on the other hand, only have the mighty German in their way and if they make it to the finals, the odds weigh heavily in their favour because Los Blancos have a reputation for not losing finals. The last time they lost a final in Europe was 43 years ago. Since then, they've won all of the eight finales they've played in.
The Munich clash also pits two England superstars against each other.
Turkish teenager Arda Guler's strike helped Real Madrid close in on the Spanish title with a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad on Friday, moving 14 points clear at the top of La Liga.
"He's well, I think he will be available to travel with us next week (to Munich) and he can play against Cadiz," Ancelotti told a news conference.
Bellingham has scored 21 goals for Real since signing in the close season from Borussia Dortmund for 103 million euros ($109 million).
Jude Bellingham snatched Real Madrid a dramatic 3-2 Clasico win over champions Barcelona on Sunday to take them 11 points clear at the top of La Liga with six matches remaining.
The last chance saloon has opened its doors early for Barcelona as they travel to the capital on Sunday aiming to hold off Real Madrid's LaLiga title run in a desperate effort to stay alive in the race for the only remaining major silverware they can win.
Manchester City’s defence of the UEFA Champions League came to a heartbreaking end when they failed to put away a resilient Real Madrid, going down 4-3 on penalties, at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Antonio Rudiger scored the decisive penalty as Real Madrid beat holders Manchester City in an edge-of-your-seat 4-3 shootout victory to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for a record-extending 17th time after the teams were locked at 4-4 on aggregate following extra time on Wednesday.
Eight days on from a captivating six-goal spectacular at the Santiago Bernabeu, Manchester City and Real Madrid reconvene for the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.
