Real Madrid Regains 7-Point Lead Over Girona in Spanish League After Routing Celta Vigo 

Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP)
Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP)
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Real Madrid Regains 7-Point Lead Over Girona in Spanish League After Routing Celta Vigo 

Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP)
Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP)

Real Madrid made peace with its fans with a comfortable win over Celta Vigo and reclaimed a seven-point lead at the top of the Spanish league on Sunday.

Vinícius Júnior scored his third goal in four games as Madrid eased to a 4-0 victory that followed consecutive draws that included a lackluster performance against Leipzig in the Champions League, which prompted jeers from the home crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

“We improved in attitude and intensity. It wasn’t too hard to do better than we did on Wednesday,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “We’re happy, focused and motivated because it’s an important stage of the season. At Real Madrid, a draw is the first step toward a crisis.”

Madrid had drawn four of its last seven matches in all competitions. It advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Wednesday despite a poor performance in a 1-1 draw against Leipzig.

Defender Antonio Rüdiger set up two goals on Sunday, and Türkiye international Arda Güler made his scoring debut with Madrid. The hosts got two own-goals.

The victory maintained Madrid’s cushion at the top after second-place Girona beat Osasuna 2-0 on Saturday and third-place Barcelona defeated Mallorca 1-0 on Friday. Barcelona, the defending champion, is eight points behind Madrid with 10 rounds left.

Madrid is unbeaten at the Bernabeu in 18 matches this season, with 15 wins and three draws. Its last home loss was in April 2023 against Villarreal. It is unbeaten in the league in 22 straight matches, since a 3-1 loss at Atletico Madrid.

Celta had only one attempt on target in what was its eighth straight loss to Madrid. Rafa Benítez’s team sits just outside the relegation zone, two points from danger.

“We were playing against the best team in the league and we were in it until the 79th minute,” Benítez said. “Things could have gone differently.”

Vinícius opened the scoring from close range after a firm header by Rüdiger in the 21st. Madrid added to the lead with own-goals by goalkeeper Vicente Guaita in the 79th and defender Carlos Domínguez in the 88th. Guaita’s own-goal came after a firm header by Rüdiger bounced off the crossbar and the goalkeeper’s back.

The 19-year-old midfielder Güler, who replaced Vinícius in the 89th, scored his first goal for Madrid four minutes into stoppage time.

Vinícius again had a run-in with an opponent, shoving Óscar Mingueza to the ground after the Celta defender held the Brazil forward’s jersey to stop a breakaway. Ancelotti had defended Vinícius during the week, saying he is “poorly treated.”

“The referee’s decision was correct and they both got yellow cards,” Ancelotti said. “Vinícius was a bit frustrated and that’s to be expected.”

Luka Modric, who hasn’t played often as a starter this season, made his 350th appearance for Madrid.

The hosts were without England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who was serving the first of a two-game suspension.

Betis loses

Real Betis missed a chance to move into the European qualification places after losing 3-2 to Villarreal at home.

Sitting in seventh place, Betis has won only one of its last six matches in all competitions.

Villarreal moved to 11th place.

Both teams played with 10 men after a red card was shown to Villarreal’s Alberto Moreno and Betis’ Chimy Ávila in the 70th.

Athletic moves up

Athletic Bilbao moved closer to the Champions League places with a 2-0 win at Las Palmas.

The victory moved the Basque Country club within two points of fourth-place Atletico Madrid, which lost 2-0 at Cadiz on Saturday.

It was Athletic’s first league win following a draw against Barcelona and a loss at Real Betis.

Rayo struggling

Rayo Vallecano’s winless streak reached 10 matches in all competitions after a 1-0 loss at Alaves.

The setback left Rayo in 16th place, four points from the relegation zone.

Andoni Gorosabel scored a first-half winner for Alaves, which hadn’t won in five consecutive league games.



Man City Facing a Rebuild after Punishing Season as Some Guardiola Stalwarts May Be on the Way out

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola walks off the pitch after the Champions League playoff second leg match between Real Madrid and Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola walks off the pitch after the Champions League playoff second leg match between Real Madrid and Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP)
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Man City Facing a Rebuild after Punishing Season as Some Guardiola Stalwarts May Be on the Way out

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola walks off the pitch after the Champions League playoff second leg match between Real Madrid and Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola walks off the pitch after the Champions League playoff second leg match between Real Madrid and Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP)

A big rebuild is coming at Manchester City — and top of the list in the clear-out appears to be the injury-prone stalwarts who cannot hack modern-day football's demanding schedule.

Pep Guardiola was very open Friday about the new "reality" facing City after his most challenging season at a club that has set new standards in the Premier League but is now staring at the end of a dynasty.

A record-extending fifth straight Premier League title is realistically out of reach. The dream of winning another Champions League is over after a two-legged humbling by Real Madrid before even the last 16.

Big changes, it seems, are now necessary.

"It's so demanding," the City manager said. "Teams are quicker, faster and stronger, and we cannot handle it right now."

Most despairing for Guardiola are the injury issues that have rocked his squad all season. Rodri, City's midfield anchor and most important player, damaged his ACL in September and is out for the season. City's four center backs — Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake — have each had long periods out. Kevin De Bruyne looks to be past his best after big injuries and didn't even come off the bench in the one-sided 3-1 loss at Madrid on Wednesday that shone a huge light on City's regression this season.

Guardiola didn't name names when he spoke about certain players not being robust enough to handle an increasingly packed schedule of games every three or four days. But players like Stones, De Bruyne, Ake and even Jack Grealish look to be at risk, along with those in their 30s — like Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic — who have struggled with the physicality of matches this season.

"We have to sit down with the doctors, physios, the players, their agents and be clear that some of them cannot sustain every three days," Guardiola said. "Every month or two months playing every three or four days — this is the reality.

"It's one more year and then a World Cup. And we have already a lot of players who cannot sustain what we have done in the past, every week, playing in different competitions, traveling, without any problems. You (ask) me where am I concerned and it's just that. The quality is there. But there's a lot of quality we cannot use because of the injuries."

'More than 50 games is too much'

With games being added to the schedule, Guardiola knows it's going to get worse. City's campaign this season contains the newly expanded Club World Cup which runs from mid-June to mid-July.

"For many, many years, we have been talking about it. ... More than 50 games is too much for the players, it's too much for the human beings, the body cannot sustain it. We arrive at 65, 70 games and in the end, look what happens. It's not just Man City, it's all the clubs. Madrid had a lot of problems with injuries, too. In the future, it will be getting worse and worse and that's why I say I'm concerned."

The injuries keep coming for Guardiola, too. Stones, who was hurt early against Madrid on Wednesday, might require surgery on an injured quadricep and be out for around two-to-three months — a similar length of time Akanji will miss after a leg injury sustained in the first leg against Madrid.

Erling Haaland missed the second leg in Madrid because of a knee injury and is a doubt for the Premier League game against Liverpool on Sunday.

As for De Bruyne, who has been an unused substitute in the last two games, Guardiola only said it was down to his "decisions" — though he did suggest the midfielder's current physical limitations played a part.

"Never, ever is it personal, never ever am I upset," Guardiola said of De Bruyne. "But for the demands, for the way we need to play for the absence of strength and physicality we have, we need games with more control, not (going) up and down."

The rebuild has started City has already begun its refresh, spending more than $200 million during the recent winter transfer window on five players — midfielder Nico Gonzalez, defenders Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Christian McFarlane, and Egypt forward Omar Marmoush.

That might just be the start of it.