Hala Madrid! Real Madrid are crowned LaLiga CHAMPIONS after Barcelona's 4-2 defeat at Girona hands their bitter rivals a record-extending 36th league title with four matches remaining from paul gillespie capital gazette Watch Video

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✓ Published: 05-May-2024

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Real Madrid have been crowned champions of La Liga after Barcelona failed to beat Girona.<br/><br/>Carlo Ancelotti's side moved thirteen points clear at the top of the table with a 3-0 victory against Cadiz on Saturday courtesy of goals from Brahmin Diaz, Jude Bellingham, and Joselu.<br/><br/>With four games remaining, Real climbed to 87 points and extended their lead to 14 points over second-placed Barcelona and 16 clear Girona in third.<br/><br/>Real manager Carlo Ancelotti made 10 changes to the team who earned Real a 2-2 draw in their Champions League semi-final at Bayern Munich on Tuesday, resting key players like Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Antonio Ruediger, and Toni Kroos ahead of the return leg at the Spanish capital on Wednesday.<br/><br/>Ancelotti's second-string players proved they were up to the task as they secured three points for Real and kept them on course for the inevitable LaLiga title celebrations.<br/><br/>The match also marked goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois' first start of the season after an ACL tear in August left him sidelined for most of the campaign.<br/><br/>Real almost fell behind after the break, with Courtois making a brilliant reflex save to block Christopher Ramos' point-blank strike in the 50th minute.<br/><br/>The Belgium goalkeeper's effort sparked a quick counterattack for Real, with Luka Modric finding Diaz running up the left channel and the Morocco midfielder managed to slot in a perfect curling strike from the edge of the box in the 51st minute.<br/><br/>Diaz then assisted substitute Bellingham to score with a tidy finish from close range in the 68th minute before Joselu tapped into an empty net in a counterattack started by Real captain Nacho in added time.<br/><br/>'These are special moments,' Joselu told Movistar Plus+.<br/><br/>'The season is coming to an end and our fans deserve all the best. We will recharge from what happened today with all the energy we can to give our fans a great victory [against Bayern] on Wednesday.'<br/><br/>The league title is Real Madrid's record-extending 36th, and the second for Ancelotti, during his second stint in charge at the Bernabeu. <br/><br/>While unable to immediately celebrate their victory on the pitch surrounded by their fans, the newly minted champions shared a video of the squad behind the scenes cheering: 'campeones (champions), campeones, ole ole ole'. <br/><br/>The full-time whistle sealed Barca's fate to hand the title to Los Blancos with four games remaining, matching their Classico rivals' achievement from last season. <br/><br/>Victory also confirmed a Champions League spot for Girona for the first time in their history, the latest development in the club's extraordinary campaign after they only returned to the top flight in 2022.