April 24, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid maintained their pursuit of La Liga leaders, Barcelona, with a tense 1-0 victory over Getafe on Wednesday night. Turkish midfielder, Arda Guler, scored the decisive goal in the 20th minute with an excellent strike from outside the penalty area, helping Carlo Ancelotti’s side remain within four points of their rivals.
The Spanish giants opted to rest several first-team regulars ahead of their upcoming Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on Saturday, yet still controlled significant portions of the match. Despite creating multiple opportunities to extend their advantage, Madrid could not find a second goal, with Brazilian teenager Endrick denied by a goal-line clearance.
Getafe mounted increasing pressure in the closing stages, nearly equalising in the 91st minute when Peter Federico and Juanmi failed to convert during a chaotic scramble in the Madrid penalty area. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a crucial intervention to preserve the clean sheet and the valuable three points.
The result comes after Barcelona had recorded their own 1-0 win against Mallorca on Tuesday as Hansi Flick’s charges temporarily extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points. With five matches remaining in the 2024/2025 La Liga season, Real Madrid remain in contention but face an uphill battle to overtake their Catalan opponents.
Both Spanish powerhouses will meet again this weekend in the domestic cup final, providing Madrid with an immediate opportunity to strike a psychological blow against the current league leaders.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
