Lesson Learned for Ancelotti as Real Madrid Beats Barcelona

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde (L) celebrates with teammate Karim Benzema (R) after scoring the 2-0 lead during the Spanish LaLiga match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Madrid, Spain, 16 October 2022. (EPA)
Real Madrid's Federico Valverde (L) celebrates with teammate Karim Benzema (R) after scoring the 2-0 lead during the Spanish LaLiga match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Madrid, Spain, 16 October 2022. (EPA)
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Lesson Learned for Ancelotti as Real Madrid Beats Barcelona

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde (L) celebrates with teammate Karim Benzema (R) after scoring the 2-0 lead during the Spanish LaLiga match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Madrid, Spain, 16 October 2022. (EPA)
Real Madrid's Federico Valverde (L) celebrates with teammate Karim Benzema (R) after scoring the 2-0 lead during the Spanish LaLiga match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Madrid, Spain, 16 October 2022. (EPA)

Carlo Ancelotti learned his lesson, and Real Madrid won the “clásico” on Sunday.

After an embarrassing 4-0 loss at home to Barcelona last season, the Madrid coach made sure he didn't try anything different with his team this time as Madrid won 3-1 to take the lead of the Spanish league.

It also handed Barcelona another painful blow four days after the Catalan club's hopes of advancing in the Champions League all but ended.

Ancelotti had used midfielder Luka Modric in the “false nine” position in attack last season and Barcelona took advantage to rout Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

“I thought about what happened last season, when I tried something different,” Ancelotti said. “For this match, I didn’t try to come up with anything, I left the players in their positions and Modric played a spectacular match in midfield.”

Karim Benzema and Federico Valverde scored first-half goals, and Rodrygo added another in second-half stoppage time as the defending champions won the first “clásico” of the season to move three points ahead of Barcelona in the league standings. The rivals had entered the match tied on points, with Barcelona ahead on goal difference.

It was Madrid's sixth win in the last seven “clásicos,” with the only setback the 4-0 result the last time the teams met at the Bernabéu.

Sunday's defeat was another frustrating setback for Barcelona after it was held 3-3 by Inter Milan at home on Wednesday to be virtually eliminated from the Champions League with two rounds left in its group stage.

“We had our chances, but we are going through a bad moment and nothing goes our way,” Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández said. “We need to change this dynamic as soon as possible.”

Barcelona didn't advance to the knockout stage of the Champions League last season, its first without Lionel Messi, but elimination this time would be extra disappointing considering the club went on a spending spree to boost its squad with players such as Roberto Lewandowski and Raphinha.

Lewandowski, the league's leading scorer, wasted his greatest chance in the first half, missing high from near the goal line.

Barcelona dominated possession and created scoring chances, but it was Madrid that capitalized on its opportunities and took advantage of Barcelona's defensive struggles.

“We knew how to suffer when they controlled possession, but we were effective up front and scored the three goals,” Modric said.

Benzema opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a shot from inside the area, off the rebound from a save by goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen in a one-on-one situation with Vinícius Júnior. It was Benzema's first goal in six matches. He also had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half.

Valverde added to the lead with a low shot from just outside the area in the 35th, with Ferran Torres getting a goal back for the visitors in the 83rd.

Substitute Rodrygo sealed the victory for Madrid by converting a penalty kick in stoppage time after being brought down inside the area.

“We are very disappointed,” Barcelona defender Jules Koundé said. “We didn’t play a bad match but we made mistakes in transition in the first half and they took advantage.”

Madrid was still without injured goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, while Barcelona was also hit by injuries and Xavi had to improvise Koundé as a center back.

It was Madrid’s eighth win in nine league matches, with its only setback a 1-1 draw at home against Mallorca in the seventh round.

Barcelona, whose only draw had come in the first round against Rayo Vallecano at home, entered the match having conceded only once in eight league matches.

Elsewhere, Real Sociedad won 2-1 at Celta Vigo for its seventh win in a row in all competitions.

Asier Illarramendi and Igor Zubeldia scored a goal in each half for Sociedad, which stayed in fifth place.

Midtable Celta, which scored through veteran striker Iago Aspas in the first half, has lost four of its last five games.

Real Betis moved to fourth after a 3-1 win over Almería with a pair of goals by William Carvalho and one by Borja Iglesias.

Espanyol, sitting 13th, beat Valladolid 1-0 with a 78th-minute winner from Joselu. Valladolid stayed just outside the relegation zone.



La Liga President Rejects Courtois’ Plea to Delay Real Madrid’s 25-26 Opener for More Rest Time

Thibaut Courtois #1 of Real Madrid C. F. reacts during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal match between Winner Game 59 and Winner Game 60 at MetLife Stadium on July 09, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Getty Images/AFP)
Thibaut Courtois #1 of Real Madrid C. F. reacts during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal match between Winner Game 59 and Winner Game 60 at MetLife Stadium on July 09, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Getty Images/AFP)
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La Liga President Rejects Courtois’ Plea to Delay Real Madrid’s 25-26 Opener for More Rest Time

Thibaut Courtois #1 of Real Madrid C. F. reacts during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal match between Winner Game 59 and Winner Game 60 at MetLife Stadium on July 09, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Getty Images/AFP)
Thibaut Courtois #1 of Real Madrid C. F. reacts during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal match between Winner Game 59 and Winner Game 60 at MetLife Stadium on July 09, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Getty Images/AFP)

Spanish league president Javier Tebas rejected Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois' plea to postpone the team's 2025-26 opener to give players time to rest following the expanded Club World Cup.

Real Madrid was eliminated with a 4-0 semifinal loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday and will have a 41-day offseason before their La Liga opener against Osasuna on Aug. 19.

Tebas said the decision not to move the opener was made by the Spanish Football Federation and La Liga agreed with it. He said players were to have 21 days off and 21 days of preseason training.

"I believe that they will have 20 days to rest instead of 21 and no other leagues like the Premier League for Chelsea or the French Ligue 1 for PSG are changing the games," he said through a translator during a Friday interview with The Associated Press. "So I don’t believe that we should change the calendar for that reason, especially thinking that it’s a matter of one day."

Real Madrid played 68 competitive matches in a season that started Aug. 18: 38 in the league, 14 in the Champions League, six each in the Copa del Rey and the Club World Cup, two in the Spanish Super Cup and one apiece in the European Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup.

PSG will play its 65th game in Sunday's Club World Cup final and Chelsea its 64th. PSG opens its season from Aug. 15-17 at Nantes and Chelsea starts against Crystal Palace on Aug. 17.

"It’s always the same for La Liga," Courtois said Wednesday. "To listen those comments from a president it’s something that I haven’t seen it in Italy, or in England, nor the NBA and NFL. It’s fine if Tebas doesn’t like the Club World Cup, but it exists. It’s part of the FIFA calendar. We’re here competing, and it seems this gentleman just wants to be the focus. I’ve never seen a president of another competition speak like that. The players' health is on the line."

On other topics:

Real Madrid causing problems Tebas said Real Madrid seeking its own path rather than working collectively with La Liga is his biggest problem.

"They don’t actually understand that we’re a huge league and that if we will collaborate it’s going to be positive for all of us," he said. "The believe in the Super League and in order to get a strong Super League they need a weak national league. So they are working toward that objective."

Camp Nou renovation Barcelona hopes to move back to Camp Nou after two seasons at the Olympic Stadium. Camp Nou's renovations are ongoing.

"They are waiting for a license that is provided by the city hall," Tebas said. "We believe that probably by the fourth week of the competition he should be ready to play again."

That would put the Blaugrana on track for a mid-September return to a venue that will remain under construction.

Barcelona is on track to meeting financial guidelines that would allow them to make moves in the transfer market.

"Barcelona’s financial situation is good," Tebas said. "They are close to acquiring all the players they want in the coming months."