Much-changed Madrid grinds it out ahead of City showdown

BARCELONA — Real Madrid warmed up for its decisive Champions League semifinal trip to Manchester City with a 1-0 win over Getafe on Saturday in La Liga.

The champion's slim victory ensured leader Barcelona could clinch the title with victory at local rival Espanyol on Sunday.

Marco Asensio broke the deadlock in the 70th minute with a deflected strike from distance, in a game of few chances.

Madrid's win saw it climb provisionally second above Atletico Madrid, 11 points behind Barcelona.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti rotated heavily to keep his key players fresh ahead of the second-leg battle with Pep Guardiola's City, following the 1-1 draw last Tuesday in Madrid.

Ancelotti lined up with just three of the side that started the first leg — goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde.

Camavinga limped off in the final stages with knee pain sustained in a clash with Juan Iglesias.

Ancelotti said the French midfielder would not take long to recover.

"He twisted his knee a bit, it's a blow, nothing more, he will recover very quickly," Ancelotti told reporters.

"Tomorrow he will rest like the others who played today and I think from Monday he will train with the team, he doesn't have a problem."

Ancelotti added: "The knee is stable, it hurts him a bit now, but the important thing is stability and he has that, 100 per cent."

The most excitement Madrid supporters had in the first half was the team presenting the Copa del Rey trophy it won last weekend in Seville to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Beyond that the opening period was devoid of action at either end, with Belgian forward Eden Hazard looking unsurprisingly flat on his first league start since September.

A forgotten man at Madrid since failing to hit the heights following a 2019 move from Chelsea, the 32-year-old winger showed no signs of life.

Ancelotti, disgruntled by his team's lackluster display, brought on midfielder Toni Kroos for Ferland Mendy at halftime and moved Camavinga to leftback. Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric soon followed off the bench.

Courtois produced a fine save to deny Iglesias as relegation-battling Getafe hunted for vital points.

However, Asensio sent Madrid ahead with 20 minutes remaining when his long-range shot deflected off Nemanja Maksimovic and past the helpless David Soria.

"I'm trying to take advantage of the chances the coach gives me," Asensio told DAZN.

"We knew that it would be a tough game against a team that is strong defensively."

Asensio almost doubled his tally with a header from Kroos' fine cross but Soria pulled off an impressive save to deny him.

The defeat left Getafe 18th, in the relegation zone, level on points with Valencia, which was 17th ahead of a trip to Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Submarine rising

Earlier on Saturday, Villarreal romped to a 5-1 win over Athletic Bilbao to cut the gap to fourth-place Real Sociedad to five points.

Girona held Sociedad to a 2-2 draw earlier on, giving Villarreal a sliver of hope that it can usurp the Basque side in the race for Champions League qualification.

Quique Setien's Yellow Submarine took full advantage with an emphatic victory over Athletic, inspired by Senegalese forward Nicolas Jackson.

The 21-year-old netted a brace to take his tally to six goals in his last four games. Alex Baena also scored twice and Aitor Paredes put through his own net.

Imanol Alguacil's Sociedad took a two-goal lead on Girona through a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty and veteran playmaker David Silva.

However the visitor fought back to equalize, with Yan Couto and Cristhian Stuani netting.

"The way the team's played in the final phase of the season is keeping me calm," said Alguacil.

"There are no easy games, but with the team playing how it is, we have to be optimistic."

Sociedad visits Barcelona next weekend and must also travel to Atletico Madrid in its last four league fixtures.

AFP