Rotated Real Madrid defeated Getafe before facing Manchester City

Due to the narrow victory, leaders Barcelona will need to defeat city rivals Espanyol on Sunday in Cornella in order to claim the championship this weekend.

With a 1-0 victory over Getafe on Saturday in La Liga, Real Madrid prepared for their vital Champions League semi-final visit to face Manchester City.

Due to the narrow victory, leaders Barcelona will need to defeat city rivals Espanyol on Sunday in Cornella in order to claim the championship this weekend.

In a game with limited chances that did not set hearts racing, Marco Asensio broke the score in the 70th minute with a deflected long-range drive.

Following the 1-1 draw last Tuesday in Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti heavily rotated his key players in preparation for the second leg matchup with Pep Guardiola’s City.

Just three players from the starting lineup from the first game, including Fede Valverde and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, lined up for Ancelotti.

However, Camavinga hobbled out in the closing moments due to knee pain brought on by a collision with Juan Iglesias.

The team bringing the Copa del Rey trophy they won last weekend in Seville to the Santiago Bernabeu caused the most excitement among Madrid supporters throughout the first half.

Beyond that, there was little movement at either end in the opening period, and Belgian attacker Eden Hazard, making his first league start since September, appeared unimpressive.

The 32-year-old winger, who tried and failed to join Madrid from Chelsea in 2019, displayed no signs of life.

At halftime, Ancelotti substituted midfielder Toni Kroos for Ferland Mendy due to his team’s lackluster performance, shifting Camavinga to left back.

Borja Mayoral of Getafe, who was in a prime position to score, misjudged his header and absolved his former team, and Asensio of Madrid sent a long-range attempt just wide.

In order to boost the spirits of the crowd and try to find a winner to keep his squad motivated ahead of the upcoming trip to Manchester, Ancelotti brought on Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric.

As Getafe searched for points essential to their chances of survival, Courtois made a good save to stop Iglesias from shooting from a distance.

With only 20 seconds left, Asensio gave Madrid the lead after his 20-yard shot rebounded off Nemanja Maksimovic and went past the defenseless David Soria.

With a deft finish, Vinicius added a second goal for Madrid, but it was called out for offside.

With a header from Kroos’ excellent cross, Asensio came close to doubling his total, but Soria made an outstanding save to prevent it.

The only thing worrying Madrid before the match with City on Wednesday was Camavinga stumbling out toward the end and needing to ice his knee.

Getafe, led by Jose Bordalas, is now 18th and in the relegation zone after the loss. They are tied on points with Valencia, who is 17th and will visit Celta Vigo on Sunday.

AFP