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 manager Carlo Ancelotti said he was calm about accusations he avoided 1 million euros ($1.09 million) in taxes on image rights revenues while he was at the club in 2014 and 2015.
Madrid appealed against his red card but the federation's disciplinary committee dismissed their complaint.
Spanish prosecutors on Wednesday called for Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to be jailed for four years and nine months for allegedly failing to declare earnings to the tax office.
After Real Madrid drew in Valencia the night before, surprising title challengers Girona had a chance to reverse their recent slump and regain some ground.
Jude Bellingham screamed obscenities at referee Gil Manzano after the final whistle was blown seconds before he scored for Real Madrid at Valencia.
"I think what's just happened is unprecedented," Ancelotti told reporters.
It takes Real to 65 points ahead of Barcelona, in second after they beat Getafe 4-0 on Saturday, and nine in front of third-placed Girona before they host Rayo Vallecano on Monday.
Champions Barcelona are determined not to let their crammed schedule get in the way of their bid to win back-to-back LaLiga titles even though they are third in the standings, coach Xavi Hernandez said ahead of Saturday's clash against Getafe.
Spain's La Liga chief Javier Tebas believes it is almost certain that superstar striker Kylian Mbappe will be playing for Real Madrid next season, he told French daily L'Equipe in an interview published on Friday.
La Liga leaders Real Madrid stumbled to a frustrating 1-1 draw at neighbours Rayo Vallecano on Sunday but stretched their lead at the top to six points.
