Madrid move to brink of LaLiga title with easy win over Cádiz

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How Real Madrid's mentality won them LaLiga

Sebastian Salazar and Luis Garcia break down the reasons behind Real Madrid's dominance in winning their 36th LaLiga title.

Updated: May 4, 2024, 06:32 pm

Goals from Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham and Joselu earned LaLiga leaders Real Madrid a 3-0 win over lowly Cádiz, leaving them within touching distance of sealing a record-extending 36th Spanish title.

Madrid could clinch later on Saturday if Barcelona fail to beat Girona.

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With four games remaining, Madrid climbed to 87 points and extended their lead to 14 points over second-placed Barcelona and 16 clear Girona in third.

Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti made 10 changes to the team who earned Real a 2-2 draw in their Champions League semifinal at Bayern Munich on Tuesday, resting key players like Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Antonio Rüdiger and Toni Kroos ahead of the second leg in the Spanish capital on Wednesday.

Jude Bellingham has now scored 18 goals in LaLiga this season.
Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images

Ancelotti's second-string players proved they were up to the task as they secured three points for Madrid and kept them on course for the inevitable LaLiga title celebrations.

The match also marked goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois' first start of the season after an ACL tear in August left him sidelined for most of the campaign.

Madrid almost fell behind after the break, with Courtois making a brilliant reflex save to block Chris Ramos' point-blank strike in the 50th minute.

The Belgium goalkeeper's effort sparked a quick counter attack for Madrid, with Luka Modric finding Diaz running up the left channel and the Morocco midfielder managed to slot in a perfect curling strike from the edge of the box in the 51st minute.

Diaz then assisted substitute Bellingham to score with a tidy finish from close range in the 68th minute before Joselu tapped into an empty net in a counter attack started by Madrid captain Nacho in added time.

"These are special moments," Joselu told Movistar Plus+.

"The season is coming to an end and our fans deserve all the best. We will recharge from what happened today with all the energy we can to give our fans a great victory [against Bayern] on Wednesday."