Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has urged his players not to give up on the La Liga title, despite the odds favoring Barcelona.
Los Blancos kept their slim hopes alive with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Mallorca on Wednesday night. Jacobo Ramon sealed the win with a stoppage-time goal, narrowing the gap to four points behind league leaders Barcelona. The Catalan side, led by Hansi Flick, travel to face Espanyol on Thursday and could reclaim a seven-point lead—enough to clinch the title with a victory.
But Ancelotti isn’t ready to wave the white flag. Speaking to Spanish media after the match, the veteran coach made it clear that Madrid will fight until the very end.
“La Liga is over? Anything can happen in football,” he said. “We didn’t want to hand them the title tonight. They still have to play tomorrow.”
“If they win, we’ll congratulate them. If not, we’ll see what happens,” he added. “If we had played like this in every game, we’d have had a much better season.”
Ancelotti, who is set to leave the club at the end of the season, closed with a final message: his team still has pride—and a point to prove.