Tag: La Liga

Barcelona will use the tiny Johan Cruyff stadium at their training ground to host Valencia in La Liga on Sunday, with the Spotify Camp Nou not yet licensed to reopen amid a rebuild.

The Spanish champions had hoped to play before a reduced crowd at their Camp Nou home, as construction continues, but have not acquired the correct permits to do so.

“The club is working intensively to obtain the necessary administrative permits to open Spotify Camp Nou in the coming weeks,” said the club in a statement.

“Barcelona thanks its members, fans, and supporters for their understanding and support during such a complex and exciting process as the return to the new Spotify Camp Nou.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The Johan Cruyff Stadium, where Barca’s women’s team regularly plays, holds around 6,000 spectators.

Barcelona closed the Camp Nou for building work at the end of the 2022/23 season, aiming to partially reopen the stadium in November 2024.

They played their home matches at the Olympic stadium on the city’s Montjuic hill until the end of last season, as the return date was repeatedly pushed back because of delays in construction and problems obtaining licenses.

A concert from American Rapper Post Malone on Friday at the Olympic Stadium means Barcelona cannot return there this weekend.

Barcelona is estimated to be paying 1.5 billion euros ($1.75 billion) for the Camp Nou rebuild, which is due to be completed in 2026.

READ: Nottingham Forest swoop for Postecoglou after sacking Nuno

Kylian Mbappe was again on target for Real Madrid as they overcame Real Oviedo 3-0 in La Liga on Sunday.

For Oviedo, returning to Spain’s top flight after an absence of almost a quarter of a century, the arrival of the 15-time European champions was a gala occasion, and the Asturian fans made their presence heard.

Star turns Mbappe and Vinicius Junior made the difference in the north of Spain. The Frenchman notched a brace before the Brazilian slid in a late third.

Coach Xabi Alonso made a couple of notable changes to his starting line-up from Madrid’s opening 1-0 win against Osasuna, dropping Vinicius and Trent Alexander-Arnold for Rodrygo Goes and club captain Dani Carvajal, returning from injury.

The dropped Vinicius responded by producing an assist and a goal in his half-hour cameo.

“It was a very serious, very complete game,” said Alonso. “With and without the ball. Playing as a team.

“And Vini came on and had a role in those two goals that gave us peace of mind. There will be games for everyone. Decisions are made with the team in mind, and that’s how it was today.”

Argentinian teenage sensation Franco Mastantuono made his full debut in another change for Real Madrid.

The 18-year-old showed his explosive dribbling ability early on when he burst past two defenders into the Oviedo box before going down and looking appealingly at the uninterested referee.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

A rare foray forward by the hosts saw Leander Dendoncker try to catch Thibaut Courtois out with a chipped effort in the 23rd minute, but the Belgian shotstopper easily gathered the ball.

Real Madrid came close to forcing a breakthrough when Arda Guler’s drive from inside the box was excellently saved by goalkeeper Aaron Escandell.

The Turkish international turned provider as he drilled a pass into Mbappe’s feet on 37 minutes, which the Frenchman welcomed on the turn before firing across Escandell.

The goal was met by furious protests from the home side. Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni seemed to follow through strongly on Dendoncker when winning possession back for his side in the build-up.

Rodrygo and the lively Mastantuono made way for Vinicius and Brahim Diaz just after the hour.

Diaz immediately created a chance for the galloping Fede Valverde, but Escandell produced a fingertip save.

Kwasi Sibo came within inches of sending the home support wild when, out of nowhere, he struck the post for Oviedo with Courtois rooted to the spot on 81 minutes.

That chance woke Real Madrid up. Vinicius won the ball two minutes later and drove forward before slipping a disguised pass to Mbappe, who slotted home first time.

The Brazilian scored in the 93rd minute, when Diaz found him in space and he slid home a composed finish.

READ: Afghanistan, Bangladesh set for white-ball series after Asia Cup 2025

Barcelona announced on Wednesday the long-term injury validation of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen by the Spanish league, meaning the club can register new signing Joan Garcia without breaking financial fair play rules.

“LaLiga’s Medical Committee has ruled that goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury meets the long-term injury criteria established by current regulations,” Barcelona said in a statement on their website.

“The club will proceed tomorrow (Thursday) to immediately formalise the registration of player Joan Garcia.”

After two seasons marred by serious injuries, Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen underwent back surgery last month.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

However, the 33-year-old had refused up until last Friday to release his medical details as Barcelona tried to have him classified by La Liga as a long-term injury, which would allow them to deduct part of his pay from their official wage bill.

The Catalan club had planned to use the German’s long-term absence to register their new recruits while remaining within the financial fair play rules.

In addition to the recruitment of 24-year-old shotstopper Garcia, Barcelona extended the contract of veteran Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny this summer.

It’s worth noting that Joan García will be available for Saturday’s league opener against Mallorca after La Liga granted the club permission to use salary space allocated for the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

READ: Imam-ul-Haq shares cryptic post after consecutive centuries for Yorkshire

Real Madrid snatched a last-gasp 2-1 win over Real Mallorca on Wednesday in La Liga to delay the title celebrations of Barcelona.

Los Blancos cut the gap on the Catalan giants to four points ahead of Barcelona’s visit to neighbours Espanyol on Thursday, where they can wrap up the title with a victory.

Trailing for much of the game after Martin Valjent’s 11th-minute opener, two second-half goals for Real Madrid ensured their arch-rivals did not claim their 28th La Liga title just yet.

Madrid needed to win to deny Barca, and Kylian Mbappe’s equaliser and Jacobo Ramon’s 95th-minute strike allowed them to do just that.

Los Blancos’ defeat by Barcelona on Sunday in the Clasico left the Catalans on the brink of the title, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side showed fighting spirit in the final stages against Mallorca.

“The team played very well, it fought a lot, played with a lot of intensity and it was a totally deserved victory,” said Ancelotti.

“We are happy because we want to finish the season well and this game didn’t start well but afterwards we did very well in all senses.”

Madrid coach Ancelotti is departing to take charge of the Brazilian national team at the end of a disappointing season in the Spanish capital, and has two games left in his post.

The Italian’s Madrid side, riddled with injury problems, were without Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes among other star names as Mallorca visited the Santiago Bernabeu.

“Having 12 players injured is very strange. We were able to overcome the absences with a good attitude, individually and as a group,” added Ancelotti.

The islanders, ninth, are hoping for European football for the first time since 2004 and put up a strong performance.

Madrid’s 18-year-old striker Endrick, whom Ancelotti may call up for Brazil in the future, came close early on but Leo Roman tipped his effort away.

Real Mallorca took an early lead when Valjent received the ball on the right of the box in an ocean of space.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The defender took his shot early and beat Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, making his 200th La Liga appearance.

Roman made a fine save to thwart England international Jude Bellingham as Madrid pushed for an equaliser.

The stopper, who also excelled for Mallorca in a recent narrow defeat at Barcelona, denied Mbappe and then Fede Valverde before the break.

Eventually, Mbappe found a breakthrough for Madrid after 68 minutes, with some superb footwork to escape three Mallorca players trying to shut him down, and he drilled past Roman.

It was Mbappe’s 40th goal of a productive season on a personal level, although his team are set to end it without a major trophy and having been beaten four times by Barcelona across all competitions.

Mateu Morey should have put Mallorca back ahead almost instantly after a Jacobo error, but Courtois denied him one-on-one.

Roman produced yet another fine save from Arda Guler’s drive before Valjent headed Mbappe’s effort off the line and to safety with the goalkeeper out of position.

It looked like, despite Madrid’s efforts, they were not going to find a winner, but 20-year-old defender Jacobo lifted a dropping ball over Roman’s head as the Mallorca defence hesitated.

Barcelona took 40 shots in their 1-0 win over Mallorca in April, and Madrid produced 39.

“Leo Roman had a great game,” said his opposite number, Courtois.

“(Jacobo) was confident and in the end he scored that goal… It’s very good for the youth academy, there are a lot of kids trying to get through.

“When they have to be there, they are. We Madrid fans have to be proud of the academy.”

READ: Australian pacer to join Islamabad United for remainder of PSL 10

Barcelona mounted a spectacular comeback to beat Real Madrid 4-3 in La Liga on Sunday and move to the brink of the title after overcoming a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe.

The France striker threatened to haul Madrid back into the title race, but Raphinha’s double and goals from Lamine Yamal and Eric Garcia gave Barcelona a seven-point lead on the reigning champions with three matches remaining.

Hansi Flick’s side were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals by Inter Milan on Tuesday and risked their season collapsing if they were beaten by Madrid, but they resisted after Mbappe’s early brace.

Barcelona battled back to claim a fourth Clasico victory from four meetings this season, showing their dominance over Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

“We’ve opened up an important gap, it was key to win this game after the Champions League (defeat), the fans have forgotten it and so have we, let’s enjoy this,” Yamal told Movistar.

“It was important to win today to bring the league title closer and it went very well, we’re very happy.”

Real Madrid are set to finish the season without a major trophy.

“We have to defend better, that is quite evident from today’s game, we defended badly and that’s that,” said Ancelotti.

“Mbappe did well… in an attacking sense, the team had clear ideas, but we could have defended better.”

Madrid had made the perfect start to what is expected to be the Italian coach’s final Clasico at the helm.

Mbappe earned a penalty when he was scythed down by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, although the Catalans complained in vain that the forward was offside in the build-up.

The striker beat Szczesny, who dived the right way and got his fingers to it, but could not keep it out.

In the 14th minute, Mbappe doubled the advantage of Real Madrid with a lethal finish after Vinicius Junior played him through, with Barcelona complaining again about a perceived foul on Yamal earlier in the move.

It was his 26th La Liga strike, taking him past Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski on 25 at the top of the scoring charts, and his 38th of the season across all competitions, beating Ivan Zamorano’s club record of 37 in a first season with Los Blancos.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Just as they have done on so many occasions this season, Flick’s spirited young Barcelona fought their way back in front with a stirring comeback.

Garcia headed home Ferran Torres’ flick-on from a corner to spark it.

Then Madrid could not stop 17-year-old star Yamal from levelling with a cultured bending effort beyond Courtois after Torres laid the ball off to him.

Two minutes later, Raphinha drilled Barca ahead, with Pedri threading him through.

Mbappe thought he had won another penalty when he fell under pressure from Frenkie de Jong, but VAR revealed an offside in the build-up.

Moments later, Raphinha netted his second, picking Lucas Vazquez’s pocket on the edge of the area, exchanging passes with Torres and beating Courtois.

Mbappe netted from an offside position before the break, bringing a rollercoaster first half to a close.

Yamal had a goal ruled out for offside early in the second half as Barcelona looked to put their arch-rivals to the sword.

However, Vinicius got behind Barca’s high line, and he fed Mbappe for his hat-trick.

Barcelona appealed for a penalty when Aurelien Tchouameni blocked Torres’ shot with his arm, but the referee did not give it despite being called to review it by VAR.

Real Madrid substitute Victor Munoz fired high and wide when sent through, and Szczesny denied Mbappe, who had another strike ruled out for offside.

Barcelona thought they had wrapped up their win with a superb Fermin Lopez solo effort, but it was harshly disallowed for handball.

Madrid had no time left to fight back, though, and Barcelona, who last won the league in 2023, could seal the title as early as Wednesday, should Los Blancos stumble against Mallorca.

If Real Madrid avoid defeat, Barcelona will be champions with a win at Espanyol the next day.

READ: Borussia Dortmund thump Bayer Leverkusen to spoil Xabi Alonso’s home farewell

Arda Guler struck the only goal as Real Madrid won 1-0 at Getafe on Wednesday to claw back to within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

The young Turkish international fired in from outside the area midway through the first half as Carlo Ancelotti’s side stayed in title contention after Barcelona won by the same scoreline at Mallorca on Tuesday.

Arch-rivals Madrid and Barcelona will meet in the Copa del Rey final in Seville on Saturday, with Kylian Mbappe poised to return from injury for the weekend Clasico — one of two remaining this season. The clubs are also due to meet in the league on May 11.

However, the win over Getafe may have come at a cost to Madrid, with David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga both forced off.

“We’ll see what they have tomorrow, but I think they’re both suffering from muscle soreness. It will certainly be difficult for them to be available on Saturday (to play Barcelona),” said Ancelotti.

In Mbappe’s absence on the outskirts of Madrid, 18-year-old Brazilian striker Endrick made his first league start as England international Jude Bellingham dropped to the bench.

Left-back Fran Garcia twice went close for Madrid, his initial effort palmed away by David Soria before he blasted the rebound high and wide.

It wasn’t long before Guler broke the deadlock after Brahim Diaz looked to have wasted the chance.

Real Madrid worked the ball back out to Guler, whose powerful 20-yard drive flashed past Soria despite the Getafe goalkeeper getting a hand to it.

Endrick thought he had scored only his second La Liga goal after being put through by Vinicius Junior, but Soria took the sting out of his shot, and Djene cleared off the line.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Getafe created opportunities of their own, the best of which fell in the second half to an unmarked Mauro Arambarri, who dragged wide with only Thibaut Courtois to beat.

Courtois came to Madrid’s rescue in stoppage time as he smothered inside his six-yard box after Peter and Juanmi tried to force the ball home from close range.

Getafe substitute Alvaro Rodriguez, who is on loan from Madrid, nearly snatched an equaliser at the death but saw his low shot beaten away by Courtois.

Inaki Williams fired Athletic Bilbao to a 1-0 home win over Las Palmas earlier on Wednesday to strengthen their chances of direct qualification for next season’s Champions League.

The Basque side sit fourth with five games to go, eight points clear of fifth-placed Villarreal, who suffered a 3-0 defeat at Celta Vigo.

Bilbao also have a Europa League semi-final against Manchester United to come, and should they win that, they will play the final in their home stadium.

Five La Liga sides qualify for the Champions League this season. Sixth-placed Betis are a point behind Villarreal ahead of their encounter with rock-bottom Valladolid on Thursday.

A fifth-minute goal from the elder Williams brother after he turned a defender in the box and side-footed home with the outside of his boot was enough for all three points.

Bilbao needed two sharp saves from Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon before half-time as relegation-threatened Las Palmas went down fighting.

Alaves climbed out of the bottom three at the expense of Las Palmas with a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad.

READ: Arshad Nadeem declines Neeraj Chopra’s invitation for Bengaluru event

Barcelona battled back from two goals down to beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 and land an important blow in the La Liga title race on Sunday.

Lamine Yamal struck in the 92nd minute and Ferran Torres in the 98th to help take the Catalans back top of the table after Real Madrid beat Villarreal on Saturday to briefly claim pole position.

Barcelona have a game in hand on the champions with both sides level on 60 points, while Atletico trail the top two by four after they crumbled at home against Hansi Flick’s side to end a disastrous week following their Champions League elimination.

“How we play, the confidence we have, it’s really good to see,” said Flick, whose team are fighting for a potential treble.

“We will try everything to win trophies, the match today gives us more confidence.”

Having twice been caught out late by Atletico this season, this time it was Barcelona’s turn to provide the sting in the tail, extending their unbeaten streak to 18 matches across all competitions.

Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth put Atletico ahead before Robert Lewandowski and Torres hit back for Barca, who went on to win in stoppage time.

“I think that after the anger, the feeling of impotence, not being comfortable in the game, we put our best foot forward and gave the best that we have,” Yamal told DAZN.

“It was a very important game to win in the end, beating Atletico was a statement win, we put ourselves back as leaders having played a game fewer and we’re very happy.”

Flick had warned his players to stay focussed after they conceded a 96th minute goal in December to surrender the lead at the top of the table to Atletico in a 2-1 home defeat.

Barcelona also conceded two late goals in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg to draw 4-4 against Diego Simeone’s side in February.

Barcelona’s best chance of the first half came towards the end of it, when Pedri played in Lewandowski, who hit the top of the crossbar with a powerful drive. From the resulting goal kick, Atletico found the opener.

The hosts worked the ball to Antoine Griezmann, who threaded a brilliant pass across the area to Giuliano Simeone, with Alvarez finishing from his cut-back.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

It provided a moment of joy for the former Manchester City striker who felt deep frustration in midweek when his penalty against Real Madrid was controversially disallowed for a supposed double touch on the ball, as Atletico were eliminated in the Champions League last 16.

Simeone turned to his bench to freshen up his side after the draining Champions League defeat. The coach introduced Sorloth and Conor Gallagher and they combined for Atletico’s second goal.

Atletico put together another fine team move with Griezmann heavily involved, before Gallagher squared to perennial super-sub Sorloth to net his 11th league goal of the season, despite just nine starts.

Barcelona had complaints about a Rodrigo De Paul handball in the build-up dismissed and they turned their anger into an instant response.

Martinez drove forward with the ball and slung it into the box for Lewandowski, who controlled well and powered a low finish past Oblak to spark the comeback.

Substitute Torres soon netted the equaliser when Raphinha crossed from the right.

With Atletico shaken, Barcelona took full advantage, with Yamal’s deflected shot from distance sending them ahead in stoppage time.

“We have to congratulate our opponent, they had a good game and in the end were very effective with their chances,” said Simeone.

“They had that bit of luck which you have to have, in the deflection for Yamal’s goal for 3-2.”

Torres bagged his second late on to round off a win which could prove decisive come the end of the season.

“It was a strange game because we did well in the first half, we had them under control and scored two goals… it’s true the 120 minutes in the Champions League weighed on us, and in the end the team fell apart,” said Atletico’s Llorente.

“We will fight to the end (for La Liga), we have seen many times how things change, you have a good month and someone else has a bad one, and you turn it all around.”

READ: ‘Everyone goes through a rough patch’: Former Pakistan captain defends Babar Azam

Kylian Mbappe helped Real Madrid climb top of La Liga with a 2-1 win at Villarreal on Saturday despite coach Carlo Ancelotti’s complaints that his team was “exhausted”.

Los Blancos moved three points clear of rivals Barcelona, having played two extra games, with the Catalans visiting third place Atletico Madrid on Sunday in a key clash in the Spanish title race.

Madrid were unhappy the game was taking place fewer than 72 hours after their Champions League win on penalties against Atletico on Wednesday.

“The team has something special, character, commitment,” Ancelotti told reporters, insisting Madrid would refuse to play without “72 hours of rest” between matches as recommended by world football governing body FIFA.

However, despite their complaints, they had enough in the tank to beat their opponents, fifth, at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

“We kept going on a physical level, above all in the second half, the team ended up exhausted, but that was to be expected,” said Ancelotti.

“It’s a win that says a lot about this team and the ability this squad has.”

Ancelotti began with Vinicius Junior on the bench after the draining victory against Atletico in the last 16.

Villarreal started strongly and Thibaut Courtois got down well to his right to tip Ayoze Perez’s shot around the post.

From the resulting corner Villarreal took the lead, with the ball rebounding to Juan Foyth, who smashed home from close range.

Ancelotti’s side hit back quickly, with Kylian Mbappe levelling after 17 minutes.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Brahim Diaz’s attempted lob was saved by Diego Conde, but the French striker dispatched the rebound with minimal fuss.

Soon Kylian Mbappe had his second, helping to spread the ball to the right and then finishing with aplomb after Lucas Vazquez found him in the middle of the box.

It was Mbappe’s 20th league goal of the season, putting him one behind the top scorer, Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.

Content with their lead Madrid soaked up Villarreal pressure in the rest of the first half, with Courtois saving well from Nicolas Pepe.

Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia Toral sent on Thierno Barry for Pepe at the break, as the Yellow Submarine looked to avoid a first home defeat in La Liga by Madrid since 2017.

Foyth might have levelled early in the second half but volleyed over the bar when well placed.

Ancelotti sent on Vinicius and Luka Modric to try and help Madrid put the game to bed and they regained some control from the enterprising hosts.

Conde saved from Fede Valverde and at the other end Perez came close with a sharp turn and powerful effort which flew just over Courtois’ crossbar, which was as close as his side came to a leveller.

“The start wasn’t the best but that’s normal with little rest that it’s hard on the legs, but then we came back quickly, we defended well, we were very tired but the commitment we showed was important,” Courtois told Real Madrid TV.

Now Ancelotti and his side can sit back and watch the two teams below them duke it out at the Metropolitano stadium.

“For us it was important to win today, obviously I will watch it, because it will be a very entertaining game,” said Ancelotti.

“Tomorrow I will be a football fan, and nothing more.”

Earlier Mallorca beat Espanyol 2-1 with a late Vedat Muriqi penalty, with the target man making amends after scoring an own goal and missing another spot-kick.

Celta Vigo beat bottom of the table Valladolid 1-0 in La Liga , inflicting their 20th defeat of the season.

READ: Salman Ali Agha opens up after Pakistan’s crushing defeat against New Zealand in first T20I

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham was hit with a two-match La Liga ban on Wednesday by the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee after he was sent off for dissent.

The England international was dismissed during the champions’ 1-1 draw at Osasuna on Saturday by referee Jose Munuera Montero.

Bellingham, who insisted he had been expressing his frustration and not insulting the referee, will miss league matches against Girona and Real Betis on February 23 and March 2 respectively.

The disciplinary committee said Madrid’s attempts to show that Bellingham had not insulted the official were “insufficient” to remove “the presumption of veracity of the referee’s report”.

Jude Bellingham had said his dismissal was due to a misunderstanding.

“I think you can see clearly in the video, I remember the incident very well, it was an expression (I was saying) to myself,” said the 21-year-old.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“I’m not even directing myself towards the referee, but obviously there was a misunderstanding. He’s believed that I’ve said (something insulting) to him.”

A Real Madrid source told AFP the club will appeal the decision.

Referee Munuera Montero has faced online abuse and threats in the days since sending off Bellingham, which the federation described as “repulsive”.

Real Madrid have attacked Spanish refereeing in recent weeks, calling it “rigged” in a letter they sent to the federation and published on their website.

Los Blancos have not won in their last three league games and rivals Barcelona now lead the table on goal difference.

READ: Khushdil Shah breaks silence on ‘parchi’ chants after New Zealand loss

Kylian Mbappe struck twice and produced a brilliant performance to power Real Madrid to a 4-1 win over Las Palmas and take the reigning champions to the top of La Liga on Sunday.

Los Blancos enjoyed a perfect weekend, overtaking Atletico Madrid by two points after their neighbours slipped up with a shock defeat at Leganes on Saturday, while Barcelona, third, could only draw at Getafe.

Mbappe has hit top form in recent weeks after an inconsistent start to life at Real Madrid following his dream switch from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

The 26-year-old reached 12 league goals with his brace, becoming the Spanish league’s second top-scorer behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, with Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo Goes also on target.

“It was a very important game because we knew what had happened yesterday, with Atletico and Barca, we wanted to win and we did,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV.

“We started badly, letting in a goal (so early)… but the reaction was top.

“We got the ball forward, quickly, attacking the spaces and with quality, we scored a lot of goals… we’re happy because we’re leaders.”

Mbappe has 18 goals for the season in 30 appearances across all competitions, and is looking increasingly crucial for his side in attack.

With Vinicius Junior suspended, the spotlight was on the French forward at the Santiago Bernabeu and he delivered with a sparkling performance.

“I am very happy, I have adapted to the team and I can play how I want, with my team-mates, with personality,” continued Mbappe.

“I think that we are all enjoying it.”

Madrid were thrashed by Barcelona last week in the Spanish Super Cup final, leading to some whistles for the team when they played at home in midweek in the Copa del Rey.

Kylian Mbappe posted on the social media network Instagram to encourage the fans to stick together and support the team.

“I think we have to be united, and like that, we can go for all the trophies,” he explained.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was questioned over his positioning of Mbappe earlier in the season, using the striker through the middle instead of on the left, where Vinicius plays and Mbappe often did at PSG.

“He’s the best central striker in the world,” said Ancelotti.

“He’s a great forward, he’s very comfortable in the middle, more than on the wing, his ability to get away from players is unique and inside he can take better advantage of that.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Las Palmas took a surprise lead in just over 30 seconds when a rapid move sliced open Madrid’s defence.

Sandro Ramirez crossed for Fabio Silva to apply the finishing touch from close range.

Real Madrid hit back strongly, with Diaz shooting wide when he should have scored, and Mbappe’s fierce effort tipped away by Jasper Cillessen.

Kylian Mbappe, who suffered heavy criticism after missing two penalties towards the end of 2024, levelled from the spot after Sandro clumsily felled Rodrygo.

The striker was involved in Madrid’s second goal, with the rebound from his saved shot falling to Lucas Vazquez, who squared for Diaz to convert.

Mbappe netted his second with a fine finish which arced into the top corner after Rodrygo cut the ball back.

Mbappe thought he had completed his hat-trick before the break but the goal was ruled offside in the build-up.

Rodrygo stroked home the fourth from Fran Garcia’s low cross after Mbappe played the left-back in early in the second half.

Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde had strikes ruled out for offside as Madrid continued to dominate, and they were able to welcome David Alaba back as a substitute after more than a year out with a serious knee injury.

“(Alaba) is a player who can help us a lot, you don’t know how much it means for us to have him back on the pitch with us,” Madrid’s Dani Ceballos told DAZN.

Midfielder Ceballos had one of his best games for Madrid and was given an ovation by the Santiago Bernabeu.

“I have worked, waited for my moment, and now I have to keep working,” he added.

Athletic Bilbao, fourth in the La Liga points table, won 2-1 at Celta Vigo earlier Sunday to pull level on points with third-place Barcelona.

READ: Shan Masood defends Pakistan’s spin-spiced formula in Test cricket