Real Madrid prepared for a crucial week in their season by securing a hard-fought victory over Mallorca in La Liga, courtesy of Aurelien Tchouameni’s long-range strike.
The upcoming week sees Real facing Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, followed by the highly anticipated El Clasico against Barcelona the following Sunday.
Tchouameni’s powerful shot, which took a slight deflection just after halftime, soared into the net, providing the decisive moment in the match.
Real currently hold an 11-point lead over second-placed Barcelona, who are set to face Cadiz later in the evening.
With one eye on their crucial clash at the Etihad, Real manager Carlo Ancelotti opted to rest and rotate players, with Dani Carvajal, Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos, and Vinicius Junior – all of whom started in Real’s recent 3-3 draw against Manchester City – named among the substitutes.
The match against Mallorca proved to be a scrappy affair, with the visitors making life difficult for Los Blancos, having been defeated by Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final the previous weekend.
However, Tchouameni’s strike from 35 yards, which deflected off Manu Morlanes, left Mallorca goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic with no chance, ultimately sealing the victory for Real.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham featured for 64 minutes before being substituted, and despite some late nerves, the La Liga leaders managed to hold on for the win.