Real Madrid regain their balance in LaLiga after losing the "Clasico"
Real Madrid regained its balance in La Liga, after beating Real Oviedo by two goals without reply, on Thursday evening, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium at the conclusion of the 36th round of competitions.
The club recovered from the effects of its loss in the "Clasico" match against its arch-rivals Barcelona by a score of 0-2, which was followed by sharp criticism after it was confirmed that it was out of the season without a trophy following the Catalan team's crowning of the league title.
With this win, Real Madrid strengthened their position in second place in the club table with 80 points, 11 points behind leaders Barcelona, while Real Oviedo's balance was frozen at 29 points in last place and officially relegated.
The first half ended with the Merengue leading with a goal without reply, scored by Gonzalo Garcia in the 44th minute with a curling shot from inside the box after receiving a pass from Moroccan international Ibrahim Diaz.
In the second half, Oviedo improved and veteran substitute Santi Cazorla almost made his mark in the game when he delivered a neat cross to teammate Alberto Reyna, who was in a great position to score, but curled the ball oddly out of the box.
However, Real managed to seal the victory in the 80th minute, through Englishman Jude Bellingham with a ground shot, after a pass from the returning Kylian Mbappe, who was booed by his club's fans when he came on as a substitute in the 69th minute.
Egyptian international substitute Haitham Hassan Thibaut Courtois forced a difficult save with a rocket shot in the top corner that the Belgian goalkeeper converted into a corner in the 84th minute, before Mbappe fired a curling ball near the post with the last touch of the match.
Ancelotti's contract as Brazil coach extended until 2030
Brazil's football federation announced on Thursday that the contract of first-team coach Carlo Ancelotti has been extended until the 2030 World Cup, Reuters reported.
Ancelotti took over as Brazil's coach in 2025 after an impressive club career during which he won five Champions League titles, as well as titles in all five major league competitions in Europe.
"Ancelotti's continued leadership of the Brazilian national team, the most successful team in the history of world football, reflects not only the Federation's support for the work of the coach, but also the trust he has gained from Brazilian players and fans since his arrival in late May 2025," the Brazilian federation said in a statement.
Brazil, who are favourites to win the World Cup alongside defending champions Argentina and European champions Spain, France and England, face Morocco, Haiti and Scotland in Group C.