Real Madrid

MADRID — Real Madrid claimed a record-extending 36th LaLiga title on Saturday after Girona's 4-2 thrashing of local rivals Barcelona left Carlo Ancelotti's side with an unassailable lead in the standings.

With four games left, Real Madrid moved to 87 points on top of the standings after their second-string players earned a 3-0 win over relegation threatened Cadiz earlier on Saturday, 13 ahead of Girona in second and 14 clear of third-placed Barcelona.

Carlo Ancelotti has created some controversy following his statements in Real Madrid’s press conference on Friday, with the Italian manager giving no answer as to which goalkeeper he would plan on playing in a hypothetical Champions League final: Lunin or Courtois.

This weekend will see the return of starting Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after missing all what has been played in the 2023-24 season due to an ACL and meniscus injury. He will start in their home LaLiga bout against Cadiz this Saturday.

MUNICH — Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr scored twice, including a late penalty, to snatch a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in an entertaining Champions League semifinal, first leg on Tuesday, leaving the tie wide open.

The Brazilian, who put Real in front after 24 minutes, has now scored in the semifinals for a third successive season.

Bayern had struck twice in four minutes early in the second half through a Leroy Sane strike and Harry Kane penalty to turn the game around before Vinicius' spot kick.

Antonio Rüdiger shut down Erling Haaland and is now aiming to shut down Kylian Mbappé.

Rüdiger has been in incredible form with Real Madrid this season (taking the reigns of the central defense following the injuries of teammates Eder Militão and David Alaba), leading the team to a very likely LaLiga title as well as to a spot in the UEFA Champions League semifinals through the deciding kick in a penalty shoot-out.

Rumors of LaLiga coming to USA have been circulating for years, but on Wednesday LaLiga president Javier Tebas suggested the idea could become reality.

Speaking with Spanish news outlet Expansion, Tebas said the league WILL play official regular season games abroad with a focus on the United States.

“LaLiga will play official matches abroad,” Tebas said. “I think it could be in the 2025-26 season. The official match in the U.S. will strengthen our position in the North American market which is second for LaLiga after Spain.”

LaLiga coming to USA

The Bernardo Silva penalty vs Real Madrid during Manchester City’s shootout defeat in Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal was one of the most discussed points of the game.

After a brilliant game that ended 1-1 (4-4 on aggregate) it went to a penalty shootout. Silva stepped up to take City’s second penalty and stunned fans when he shot it right up the middle into the grateful hands of Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.

Silva received hefty criticism online for his penalty. 

What if we told you, it wasn’t a bad kick but instead a genius bit of goalkeeping?

April 15 (Reuters) - Mallorca are working with the police to investigate an alleged racist gesture made during a 1-0 home defeat by Real Madrid on Saturday, the LaLiga club said.

Videos on social media appeared to show a fan at the Son Moix Stadium making a racist gesture towards Real midfielder Aurelien Tchouaméni, who scored the only goal of the match.

MADRID, April 9 (Reuters) - Real Madrid and Manchester City slugged out a thrilling 3-3 draw in a rip-roaring Champions League quarter-final clash in the Spanish capital on Tuesday, leaving the tie between the last two holders of the trophy wide open for the second leg next week.

The Madrid crowd were left stunned two minutes into the match when City's Bernardo Silva took advantage of a one-man wall to drill a free kick from 40 metres just inside Andriy Lunin's right-hand post to give the visitors the lead.

Bernardo Silva goal vs. Real Madrid

Rodrygo netted a goal in each half as Real Madrid secured a 2-0 home win against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, cementing their position at the top of the LaLiga table.

Real have 75 points, eight ahead of Barcelona in second and 10 clear of third-placed Girona with eight matches left.

The result hit fourth-placed Bilbao's hopes of securing a place in next season's Champions League as they are only one point ahead of Atletico Madrid, who play at Villarreal on Monday.

Soccer fans in the United States are getting spoiled this summer. Not only will the Copa América be hosted in the States, but some of the world’s biggest clubs have announced summer tours in the USA.

Top teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan will all play games stateside this summer.

The friendlies will take place at the end of July and start of August meaning there won’t be any overlap with the Copa América or Euros. Both international tournaments conclude on July 14.