IMAGES from the El Clasico match played at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Sunday.
Madrid were not at their best but moved three points clear of rivals Barcelona.
For months, the 2024 Ballon d'Or seemed to have a clear front-runner, with everyone anticipating the coronation of Vinícius Júnior as the new king of football.
36-year-old target man Giroud put the World Cup holders ahead at 2-1 with a tap-in after 32 minutes and added his second in the 71st to make the score 4-1 with a header from a Kylian Mbappe cross.
Goalline technology passed its first World Cup test with flying colours at the FIFA football World Cup on Sunday.
Karim Benzema scored twice after the interval with a penalty and a header from a corner to give Santiago Solari's side a 3-1 lead, after Raphael Varane struck in the 34th minute to cancel out Anuar Tuhami's goal for Valladolid five minutes earlier.
Last year, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma finished 10th in the Ballon d'Or rankings after being named Man of the Match in Italy's victory against England after a penalty shootout in the European Championship final.
Yann Sommer saved France striker Kylian Mbappe's spot kick to give Switzerland a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win, following a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra-time, on Monday as they advanced to the Euro 2020 quarter-finals where they will meet Spain.
Manchester City reached the Champions League quarter-finals after beating Real Madrid 2-1 (4-2 on aggregate) at the Etihad Stadium on Friday, with scorers Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus taking advantage of errors by defender Raphael Varane.
Real Madrid overcame an early howler from Sergio Ramos to beat Real Sociedad 3-1 at home on an eventful Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Gareth Bale was loudly booed by his own supporters and Luka Modric returned to his very best form.
Holders Real Madrid reached the Champions League final for a third year in a row after taking advantage of Bayern Munich's carelessness in attack and defence to draw 2-2 in their semi-final second leg on Tuesday, and winning 4-3 on aggregate, at the Santiago Bernabeu, in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday.
Real Madrid need both Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to step up a level to cover for Cristiano Ronaldo's absence and Marco Asensio will also be given a more prominent role.
It was the third game in a row in which Real had broken the deadlock thanks to a penalty and they sealed the win when Benzema turned provider and allowed Marco Asensio to tap into an empty net early in the second half.
Real Madrid stayed hard on the heels of leaders Barcelona when in-form striker Karim Benzema scored to set them on their way to a 2-1 win at battling city rivals Atletico in La Liga on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo broke his four-game scoring drought with a hat-trick as Real Madrid trounced lowly Malaga 7-0 in La Liga on Thursday to trim the gap with leaders Barcelona back to seven points.
This is Real Madrid's third consecutive Champions League title.
Marco Asensio and Vinicius Jr. scored second-half goals to earn Real Madrid a solid 2-0 win over struggling Valencia.
Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr both scored a brace to give the LaLiga leaders a 4-1 home win over Valencia
Karim Benzema made history at Real Madrid, the battle for the top four continues to heat up
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti praised his team for beating holders Bayern Munich in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final, first leg without their two biggest names taking a leading role.
From Ana Ivanovic riding a dolphin to Roger Federer enjoying the company of Mickey Mouse to Real Madrid's Karim Benzema doing what looks like a Bollywood dance step, Rediff.com has it all snapped right here...
Real Madrid ended their five-year wait for the La Liga title on Sunday as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema scored in a 2-0 win at Malaga, clinching a 33rd league triumph.
Unconvincing Real Madrid survived a huge scare at rock bottom Rayo Vallecano when they conceded two quickfire second-half penalties but held on under severe pressure to secure a nervy 3-2 victory in La Liga on Saturday.
Vinicius Junior's second half tap-in steered Real Madrid to a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final on Saturday.
Borussia Dortmund relish their status as underdogs for the Champions League final and are determined to prove they belong among Europe's elite, coach Jurgen Klopp said after they knocked out Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Newly-crowned champions Real Madrid beat Mallorca 4-1 to break the 100-point barrier on the final day of La Liga season as Villarreal sensationally slipped through the relegation trapdoor.
Kylian Mbappe could even be sold this summer as PSG will seek to prevent him from leaving for free.
A tap-in by Karim Benzema and a powerful strike by substitute Marco Asensio earned European champions Real Madrid a 2-0 win over 10-man Chelsea.
France produced one of soccer's most famous comebacks on Tuesday to scrape into next year's World Cup finals via the playoffs while Portugal blazed through after Cristiano Ronaldo conjured up a sensational hat-trick.
'Leo wants to return to Barca and I would also like him to return'
Real Madrid fought back from the brink of elimination to beat Manchester City 3-1 after extra time and 6-5 on aggregate in an enthralling and dramatic Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
Yet even though the Swiss lack world stars like France's Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema or Kylian Mbappe, Spain must be prepared for a long evening finding their way through Vladimir Petkovic's disciplined side on Friday in St Petersburg.
Loris Karius told fans he was 'infinitely sorry' for his two catastrophic errors in the side's 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final and said he had struggled to sleep after Saturday's game.
Ronaldo said the league was very competitive but that there were many opportunities to grow.
Cristiano Ronaldo's scintillating form and the supporting role played by the likes of Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema suggest Real Madrid have every right to believe a rare treble is well within their grasp.
Karim Benzema struck twice as Real Madrid went to the top of La Liga with a 4-2 win over Villarreal on Saturday while midfielder Verza's double gave Almeria a shock 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.
Spanish champions Real Madrid have no intention of letting striker Gonzalo Higuain leave but may need to buy a back-up goalkeeper if Antonio Adan cannot be persuaded to stay, coach Jose Mourinho said.
Gareth Bale struck his first Real Madrid hat-trick and set up another goal in a thumping 4-0 La Liga victory over Real Valladolid on Saturday.
Real Madrid warmed up for their crunch meeting against Barcelona by thrashing Sevilla 4-0 and coach Zinedine Zidane believes his team "can do great things" if they match the performance they produced against Unai Emery's side.
Now, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo venturing into smaller leagues as they near the end of their brilliant careers, 2024 may finally be the year for the next in line in football royalty.
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