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.
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Defender Vazquez headed home to lift Madrid above Girona to the number one spot after this season's surprise packages were held to a 1-1 draw at Real Betis earlier in the day.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are a point ahead of Catalan minnows Girona, who host Alaves on Monday and will be looking to reclaim pole position.
Madrid came into the match guaranteed of first place in their group but fell behind just before half-time, Union striker Kevin Volland scoring on the counter after Luca Modric had a penalty saved.
Leaders Real Madrid stumbled to a 1-1 draw at Real Betis on Saturday as Aitor Ruibal's brilliant strike cancelled out Jude Bellingham's league-best 12th goal of the season.
Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal is expected to miss the rest of the year after the club announced Monday he suffered a calf injury in the weekend win over Granada.
Coach Michel is determined to enjoy Girona's "history-making" La Liga run after Saturday's 2-1 win over Valencia 2-1 and not think about the title race because his team are "not at that level".
Real Madrid did enough to beat lowly Granada 2-0 in LaLiga on Saturday, a game that will not live long in the memory of an underwhelmed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium crowd on a chilly evening in the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid romped to a 4-2 win over Napoli on Wednesday to qualify in first place from their Champions League group.
Champions Barcelona visit Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Saturday reeling after midfield Gavi's devastating cruciate ligament injury, which is set to rule him out for the rest of the season..Coach Xavi Hernandez has called the 19-year-old the "soul" of the team on multiple occasions and his
