A penalty from Kylian Mbappe in the 10th minute of stoppage time rescued Real Madrid, giving them an agonising 2-1 victory over local rivals Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga.
'The only thing I can do is on the pitch -- to give my all. I won't always be technically perfect, but I will always give 100% for the team.'
An inspired Kylian Mbappe scored two fabulous goals to guide Real Madrid to a commanding 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, ending their three-game winless streak in LaLiga.
IMAGES from UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Ferran Torres struck twice as Barcelona marked their long-awaited return to their Camp Nou Stadium with an emphatic 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
Nico O'Reilly's opportunistic strike and Erling Haaland's penalty helped Manchester City to fight back to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in a tense Champions League contest at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Spirited Rayo Vallecano hold Real Madrid to 0-0 draw
The 55-year-old Ernesto Valverde, who led Barcelona to successive La Liga titles in 2018 and 2019, came under fire this season for the team's dip in performance levels even though they top the league standings at the halfway point of the campaign.
Barcelona are top of La Liga and have lifted back-to-back league titles under the Spanish coach, but there are concerns over the team's levels of performance and style.
Real are on 24 points, two ahead of Barcelona and the top two will go head-to-head in next Sunday's El Clasico. Getafe are 12th in the standings on 11 points.
Real Madrid hit their stride at the Club World Cup on Tuesday, edging Juventus 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals thanks to a second-half strike from academy graduate Gonzalo Garcia.
Real Madrid laboured to a 1-1 Club World Cup draw against a spirited Al-Hilal in searing heat on Wednesday
Federico Valverde finished off a stunning move in extra time to give Real Madrid a 3-2 victory over arch-rivals Barcelona
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said the football world must get used to the idea that Lionel Messi will retire in the near future.
Valencia have agreed to appoint Ernesto Valverde to replace Mauricio Pellegrino as their new coach until the end of the season, the Spanish club said on Monday.
Valverde's knowledge of Barca and his many years of experience of coaching in Spain saw him pip Argentine Jorge Sampaoli and Luis Enrique's assistant Juan Carlos Unzue to the top job.
Brazilian teenage striker Endrick came off the bench to score two goals in extra time and help Real Madrid rescue a hard-fought 5-2 win over Celta Vigo.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Valencia coach Ernesto Valverde has said the instability at the club has convinced him it is best to leave after they lost 4-3 at Sevilla on the final day of the La Liga season on Saturday and missed out on a Champions League place.
Young Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde, who beat race leader Armstrong in a sprint finish in Tuesday's mountainous 10th stage, quit the Tour de France suffering with a knee injury.
Images from the Europa League semi-finals second leg between Manchester United and Athletic Bilbao, Tottenham Hotspur and Bodo/Glimt, on Thursday.
Carlo Ancelotti's side were then reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute when Vinicius Jr was shown a straight red card for slapping Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Barcelona came from an early goal down to beat Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday
A stoppage-time finish from Rayan Cherki earned Olympique Lyonnais a dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
IMAGES from football matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
Real Madrid have avoided defeat in their last 41 LaLiga games, the second best streak by a team in the competition's history.
IMAGES from the South American World Cup qualifiers played on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappe was in inspired form, scoring twice to guide Real Madrid to a comeback 4-1 win over visitors Las Palmas on Sunday.
A round-up of Saturday's action in LaLiga, Ligue 1 and Serie A
'We were happy with the win because we played a great game until the 88th minute, when two lapses in concentration led to two goals and we had to suffer a bit more than we should have.'
Images from Sunday's action in LaLiga and Serie A.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Second-half strikes by Federico Valverde, Brahim Diaz and Endrick gave feeble Real Madrid an unconvincing 3-0 win over lowly Real Valladolid.
Real Madrid paid for defensive mistakes as they were held to a 3-3 draw at lowly local rivals Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
Girona thrash Osasuna for first win of the season
Fourteen stadiums across the US will host the Copa America matches.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is looking for a big improvement from his side when they play their first home game of the LaLiga season, against Valladolid on Sunday, with Kylian Mbappe making his Santiago Bernabeu debut
Real Madrid won the Club World Cup for a record extending fifth time after beating Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal 5-3 in the final on Saturday.
Manchester City survived a scare to beat FC Copenhagen 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Parken Stadium on Tuesday, with Phil Foden scoring late to ensure a two-goal cushion ahead of the second leg.
Real moved to 57 points, two ahead Girona and 10 clear of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
