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.
League leaders Madrid opened up a five-point gap on shock title challengers Girona, second.
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger is set to miss important upcoming matches against Girona and RB Leipzig as the club confirmed Saturday he has a thigh injury.
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"(Atletico) are taller and they took advantage of that," noted Ancelotti.
With just six months remaining on his contract at Paris Saint-Germain Kylian Mbappe's much vaunted move to Real Madrid continues to dominate French football news.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Saturday Barcelona complaints over his club allegedly influencing La Liga referees were unprofessional.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has decided to join Real Madrid at the end of the season, according to French outlet Le Parisien.
Getafe officials requested that Bellingham’s alleged comment be included in the referee’s match report and lodged an official complaint to La Liga
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said Friday that a European Super League project could begin as soon as next season, adding that he does not care if English clubs join or not.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez complained Friday rivals Real Madrid are influencing referees "every week" and said it meant La Liga was "completely adulterated".
