Carlo Ancelotti decided to rest Real Madrid’s top players for Wednesday’s rematch with Bayern Munich, making 10 changes to the starting lineup for the 34th round of La Liga compared to the match in Germany five days ago. It turned out to be a good decision, as even the substitutes of the Royal Club pulled the team towards a 3-0 victory, bringing them closer to officially reclaiming the title at the Santiago Bernabeu. If Barcelona doesn’t defeat Girona away later today, the celebrations in Madrid can begin. At first glance, the most deserving of the three points in the match against the strugglers Cadiz was the scorer of the first goal (51st minute) and the assistant to Jude Bellingham for the second goal in the match (68th) – Brahim Diaz. However, it must be highlighted the excellent save by Thibaut Courtois in a “one-on-one” situation with the visiting striker Chris Ramos. It was just a few moments before Diaz masterfully stroked from the edge of the penalty area to give Madrid the lead and a more relaxed continuation of the match.17 – @realmadriden have kept 17 clean sheets in @LaLigaEN 2023/24 (18 if they do not concede against Cádiz today) and only in five seasons they kept more in the competition: 1986/87 (19), 1987/88 (19), 1992/93 (18), 1994/95 (18) and 2019/20 (19). Lock. 🔒 pic.twitter.com/gqi7jQd6jG— OptaJose (@OptaJose) May 4, 2024 Despite this being his first match of the season due to a knee injury, the masterful Belgian showed that he could easily compete for a place between the posts against Bayern, although Ancelotti has already announced that for the rematch against the Bavarians, he will once again place his trust in Andriy Lunin. Shortly after the first goal, the question of the winner in the match between Real and Cadiz was settled by the home team’s top scorer, Jude Bellingham. Just three minutes after coming on as a substitute, the English international intercepted the ball from Cadiz players, and then, after a beautiful combination with Modric and Diaz, scored his 18th goal of the season in La Liga, coming one behind the league’s top scorer, Artem Dovbyk from Girona. The final 3-0 in injury time was sealed by Joselu, on the counterattack after another excellent save by Courtois. This time, it was from a long-range shot.That pass from Vini jr isn’t talked about enough but Nacho could have scored that goal but he decided to pass it to Joselu. True leader 🤍💫Bellingham | Real Madrid | Bernabeu | Courtois | Arda Guler | pic.twitter.com/FMViDlHWBa— DREWJAY (@RMA_DREWJAY) May 4, 2024 Compared to the draw in Munich (2-2) five days ago, Carlo Ancelotti left only Nacho Fernandez in the starting lineup. The experienced defender led his teammates with the captain’s armband, and ahead of the match, attention was drawn to the news that he had definitively decided to leave Real after the season and move to the American MLS. The information was announced by Madrid-based newspaper Marca, although the name of the club was not specified. Allegedly, Nacho made the final decision to leave after the match against Bayern, dissatisfied because Carlo Ancelotti substituted him in the 65th minute. The two of them had disagreements before, and considering Nacho is 35 years old, such an outcome could have been expected despite talks of a possible contract extension for another year.pic.twitter.com/wiuRlf8cUu— follow @MMajeedx (@mmtv3001) May 4, 2024 Given that he is leaving the club after 23 years – including playing for the youth teams and the B team – this match was especially significant for Nacho because it was probably the last time in his career that he played against his younger brother, Alex, who unlike him, didn’t manage to establish himself in Real and built his career through Espanyol, Rijeka, Reading, and Elche before joining Cadiz in 2017. This was the eighth encounter between the Fernandez brothers on the field, and it’s clear that the more successful one is the member of Real. After today’s match, Nacho has five wins, Alex has one, and they drew twice. However, what is more important for Nacho is another step towards his fourth La Liga title, as well as a good prelude to Bayern’s visit to Madrid.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 34Friday Getafe – Ath.Bilbao 0-2 (0-1)/I.Williams 27, 51/SaturdaySociedad – Las Palmas 2-0 (2-0)/Suarez 33 (og), Becker 45+1/Real Madrid – Cadiz 3-0 0-0)/Diaz 51, Bellingham 68, Joselu 90+3/19:30: (2.95) Girona (3.70) Barcelona (2.40)22:00: (3.70) Mallorca (3.20) Atl.Madrid (2.15)Sunday15:00: (3.00) Osasuna (3.20) Betis (2.45)17:15: (2.40) Celta (3.50) Villareal (3.05)19:30: (2.10) Valencia (3.15) Alaves (3.90)22:00: (1.60) Sevilla (3.90) Granada (5.80)22:00: (1.58) Rayo Vallecano (3.90) Almeria (6.00)***odds are subject to change***
