Guler Strike Maintains Real Madrid’s Flickering Title Hopes
Arda Guler’s cultured first-half strike earned Real Madrid a nervy 1-0 win at Getafe on Wednesday that kept their LaLiga title hopes alive and left them four points behind leaders Barcelona with five matches remaining.
After Barca extended their lead with a 1-0 victory over Mallorca on Tuesday, Carlo Ancelotti’s men secured three precious points thanks to the Türkiye midfielder’s fine 20th-minute effort from the edge of the box.
Ancelotti decided to rest several key players ahead of Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against rivals Barca, but Real still dominated proceedings.
They failed to capitalise on numerous opportunities to extend their lead, however, which resulted in a tense finish to the encounter, with Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois producing two brilliant saves in added time to secure their win, Reuters reported.
The victory moved them up to 72 points in second place, nine ahead of third-placed Atletico Madrid who have a game in hand and take on Rayo Vallecano on Thursday.
With forward Kylian Mbappe out with an ankle injury he sustained in their Champions League quarter-final loss to Arsenal, Ancelotti also opted to start with Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Luka Modric, Antonio Ruediger and Eduardo Camavinga on the bench.
