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May 4, 2024
Following their 3-0 victory over Cádiz and a 4-2 loss for Barcelona at Girona, Real Madrid emerged victorious in Spain for the 36th time, ensuring that Carlo Ancelotti’s team’s lead at the top of La Liga would never be challenged.
Brahim Díaz, Jude Bellingham, and Joselu scored goals to give Madrid an easy victory over Cádiz, who were in the lower league. With four games left, Real increased its lead to 87 points, jumping ahead of Girona in second place by 13 points and Barcelona in third by 14 points.
Before facing Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal, Real Madrid’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti, rested several essential players, and his team more than sufficed to win the three points.
They controlled the first half and eventually broke the tie in the 51st minute when Díaz scored a curling shot from the edge of the box. Subsequently, in the 68th minute, he helped substitute Bellingham’s score with a neat close-range finish. In added time, Joselu scored by tapping into an empty net during a counterattack.
“We have to put our joy on ice because we have a very important game ahead of us on Wednesday,” Ancelotti said before Barcelona had lost. “We have played a spectacular Spanish league season. We have been very consistent and rarely slipped up. The advantage we have is deserved. We have to recover, rest and play our best against Bayern.”
Girona’s victory over Barcelona guaranteed this season’s surprise package a place in Europe for the first time, as they advanced to the Champions League for the following season.
Barça took the lead in the third minute thanks to a goal from Andreas Christensen. Still, Girona responded a minute later with a header from La Liga’s top scorer, Artem Dovbyk.
Just before the half, Robert Lewandowski scored from the penalty spot to give the visitors a lead again. But Portu scored the equalizer in the 65th minute, his first goal after coming off the bench, and Miguel Gutiérrez added the lead two minutes later after a rebound. The victory was assured in the 74th minute by a magnificent volley from Portu.
“It’s incredible to look at your shirt and experience this. There is nothing more beautiful than living this,” Portu told DAZN, with tears rolling down his face.”
“I had a thorn in my side with this club. A few years ago, I experienced the other side, which was relegation and I felt very responsible because I played a lot. Today I made amends with the fans and I can smile again.”
The last Bundesliga match before the second leg of the Champions League semifinal at Real Madrid took place on Saturday. Bayern Munich lost 3-1 at Stuttgart, and Raphaël Guerreiro was injured. Guerrero appeared to have suffered a muscular injury early in the game and is questionable for Wednesday’s pivotal match in Madrid.
Visiting Augsburg was soundly defeated 5-1 by Borussia Dortmund’s B team as they prepared for Tuesday’s semifinal matchup at Paris Saint-Germain.
When it was announced that Marco Reus, a Dortmund veteran, would be leaving his hometown team at the end of the season, he scored one goal and assisted on another in his first game.
Only goalkeeper Gregor Kobel remained in his position as Dortmund’s coach, Edin Terzic, made ten changes to the squad that defeated PSG 1-0 on Wednesday.
With Guerreiro, Alphonso Davies, Aleksandar Pavlović, Serge Gnabry, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and Mathys Tel starting in place of Noussair Mazraoui, Konrad Laimer, Leon Goretzka, Thomas Müller, and Leroy Sané (all substitutes), as well as Jamal Musiala (not in squad), Thomas Tuchel, Terzic’s counterpart at Bayern, made six changes from his team that drew 2-2 with Madrid in Munich on Tuesday.
However, Guerreiro’s injury in the 17th minute severely blew his preparations. After playing a one-two with Deniz Undav, Leonidas Stergiou, a Stuttgart defender, opened the score in the 29th. The 22-year-old Swiss defender’s goal was his first in the Bundesliga.
Harry Kane equalized after a questionable penalty kick was awarded in the 37th minute. According to TV replays, Serge Gnabry, who went down clutching his face, and Waldemar Anton made minimal contact. However, Kane did not let it stop him from scoring his 44th goal for Bayern in 44 games.
After combining with fellow substitute Silas Katompa Mvumpa, Jeong Woo-yeong scored Stuttgart’s second goal in the 83rd minute. Silas then completed the victory in stoppage time.
With two rounds left, Stuttgart has closed the two-point deficit to second-place Bayern.
Qualification for the Champions League was already guaranteed for both.
Herrenstadt, who had already been demoted, lost 3-0 at home to Wolfsburg, while Borussia Mönchengladbach and Werder Bremen drew 2-2.
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