Small win for Real Madrid ahead of return against Manchester City

Real Madrid struggled to win against Getafe ahead of their return to the Champions League semifinals against Manchester City. In front of their own crowd, coach Carlo Ancelotti’s team won 1-0 over relegation-hit Getafe.

With the win, Real takes over second place from city rival Atlético, which still has action on Sunday. Leaders Barcelona – already virtually certain of the title – will also play then.

Last Tuesday, Real played a 1-1 draw at home in the first semifinal duel with City. Next Wednesday is the match in Manchester and possibly it was already playing in Real’s heads.

Although the home side had most of the ball possession before the break, they did not create any clear-cut chances. The pace was also too slow to embarrass Getafe’s defense.

The best chance before halftime was for Getafe: Nemanja Maksimovic’s curled shot flew just over. Midway through the second half, Getafe was again close to a goal, but Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois just barely got a fist to Juan Iglesias’ peal.

Moments later, they did score at the other end. Marco Asensio scored with a shot that changed direction. He was also close to scoring 2-0, but his hard header was cleverly turned by goalkeeper David Soria.