'Abuelo Luka' and his guided missile pave the way for Madrid's vital triumph

After three consecutive winless La Liga games, Real Madrid are back on track! In a match against Girona, in which David Alaba found his place in the starting XI for the first time after 434 days, Madrid's "grandpa" Luka Modric showed that his 39-year-old legs still have firepower in them. The experienced Croatian netted a genuine screamer in the 41st minute, breaking the deadlock and easing his team's job in the remainder of the clash.

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Although Los Blancos were way better after the break, they managed to score the second only seven minutes before the end, when Vinicius Jr found the net to put a cherry on top of Madrid's victory - 2-0

The crowd could have probably slept through the opening 40 minutes of the game as Girona's defensive wall refused to collapse. Truth be told, Real Madrid's attempts were futile, as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, and Rodrygo's shots were far from enough to outsmart Paulo Gazzaniga.

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But then, in the 41st minute, 74,000 people at Santiago Bernabeu were suddenly awakened with a "golazo"! The 39-year-old captain, Luka Modric, decided to take matters into his own hands, unleashing a superb effort with a volley straight into Girona's net and setting the halftime result.

Thirteen minutes into the second half, Vini was close to doubling Madrid's lead, but his powerful strike crashed against the crossbar, as the woodwork kept the Catalan side alive.

Still, the Brazilian and his "partner in crime" Mbappe continued threatening Gazzaniga, who finally gave in seven minutes before the end when the Frenchman assisted and Vinicius scored, securing Los Blancos' triumph, which tied them in the La Liga top spot with Barcelona, while Atletico follows the duo being a point down.

LA LIGA - MATCHDAY 25

Friday

Celta - Osasuna 1-0 (0-0)

/Aspas 69 pen/

Saturday

Alaves - Espanyol 0-1 (0-0)

/Calero 86/

Rayo Vallecano - Villarreal 0-1 (0-0)

/Perez 66/

Valencia - Atl. Madrid 0-3 (0-2)

/Alvarez 12, 30, Correa 86/

Las Palmas - Barcelona 0-2 (0-0)

/Olmo 62, Torres 90+5/

Sunday

Ath.Bilbao - Valladolid 7-1 (4-0)

/Jauregizar 10, Williams N. 35, 66, Sannadi 43, Sancet 45+2, Guruzeta 69, Williams I. 87 - Sylla 47/

Real Madrid - Girona 2-0 (1-0)

/Modric 41, Vinicius Jr 83/

20.30: (2.65) Getafe (3.10) Betis (3.10)

23.00: (1.57) Sociedad (3.50) Leganes (7.50)

Monday

23.00: (2.15) Sevilla (3.15) Mallorca (3.70)

***odds are subject to change***