Real Madrid Clinches 36th La Liga Title as Barcelona Falters: A Season of Triumph and Setbacks
Real Madrid has once again stamped their authority in Spanish football, securing their 36th La Liga title after a dramatic turn of events that saw Barcelona falter against Girona.
Real Madrid now leads Barcelona by an overwhelming 14 points, securing the latter’s league championship.
In a season where the Catalan powerhouses had failed to win any hardware, Real Madrid showed off their dominance in Spanish football by winning the league title with four games remaining. This deflated the hopes of their nearest rivals, Barcelona. Even with a starting lineup largely composed of reserve players, Madrid’s convincing 3-0 victory against relegation-threatened Cadiz was enough to seal the championship as Barcelona loses 4-2 to Girona.
Real Madrid now leads Barcelona by an overwhelming 14 points, securing the latter’s league championship. Girona overtook Barcelona to secure the second spot, confirming Madrid’s 36th La Liga title and adding another chapter to the club’s remarkable history.
Real Madrid will now concentrate on the Champions League in order to add to their already incredible record of 14 European Cups, having won the league title. There is a lot riding on this semifinal matchup between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as the Spanish team looks to maintain its control on the continent. With both sides engaged in a fierce battle for a berth in the final, the first-leg draw in Germany sets the scenario for an exciting match at Santiago Bernabeu.
The club announced that it will postpone the customary victory celebration in downtown Madrid until next Saturday in order to focus on its crucial matchup with Bayern.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid declared, “We deserved this league title in every way,” following his team’s second league title and 12th trophy overall in his two years at the team.
“We want to celebrate with all of the supporters, but they know that we have a big battle coming up on Wednesday. We want to be well-prepared to please the supporters, and on Saturday, we will all celebrate the victory together.
It’s interesting to note that, with Real Madrid losing their top forward Karim Benzema at the beginning of the season, Barcelona appeared to be the favorites. Furthermore, defenders David Alaba and Eder Militao, as well as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, also suffered grave leg injuries. But Jude Bellingham, a young player, came up with steady performances for the team; his goals and excellent midfield leadership, together with Vinicius Junior’s assist, pushed Real Madrid ahead of the opposition.
Madrid has won both of its league “clasico” matches against Barcelona, has only lost once in 34 rounds overall, and has delivered Girona two crushing defeats in their two encounters.
Before the matchup with Bayern, Ancelotti made major changes to his starting eleven. The only player that started the first leg against Bayern and started against Cadiz was center-back Nacho Fernandez.
At the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, in the 51st minute, Brahim Diaz scored a goal from the edge of the box into the top corner, breaking through Cadiz’s defense.
Moments after entering the game as a replacement, season MVP Bellingham scored his 18th league goal of the year to effectively seal the victory. In injury time, Joselu Mato added a third.
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Girona in Champions League
In addition to losing to Girona in the Catalan derby, which was their second major defeat of the season, Xavi’s team also watched Madrid win the title as a result of their defeat. Barcelona dropped to third position, 14 points behind Madrid, as Girona overcame them.
Girona opened a 13-point lead over Athletic Bilbao in fifth place, securing a top-four finish and Champions League spot.
Girona is now poised to cause problems for UEFA, whose regulations are intended to safeguard the Champions League against the presence of two or more clubs owned by the same entity. Girona and Manchester City are members of the City Football Group, which has the support of the royal family of Abu Dhabi.
If Girona maintains second place, it can potentially deny Barcelona a valuable berth in the Spanish Super Cup.
“That is a summary of our season—we had the game under control and then gave it away,” Xavi remarked. It is really difficult to compete like that. The same thing occurred in the two games against Madrid and the other game against Girona. If we want to compete the following season, we must make a lot of changes.
