Arda Güler’s first-half strike earned Real Madrid a vital 1-0 victory over Getafe on Wednesday, keeping their LaLiga title hopes alive and closing the gap to four points behind leaders Barcelona.
The 19-year-old Turkish starlet curled in a brilliant effort from the edge of the box midway through the opening half, helping Carlo Ancelotti’s side respond to Barça’s narrow win over Mallorca the night before.
All eyes now turn to Saturday's Copa del Rey final in Seville, where Real and Barcelona will clash in the season’s first El Clasico showdown—with a second to follow in the league on May 11. Kylian Mbappé is expected to return from injury just in time for the high-stakes fixture.
But Real's win at Getafe came with potential injury setbacks. David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga both limped off, raising doubts about their availability for the weekend.
“We’ll assess them tomorrow,” said Ancelotti. “It looks like muscle fatigue, but I don’t think either will be fit for Saturday.”
With Mbappé sidelined and Jude Bellingham rested on the bench, 18-year-old Brazilian Endrick earned his first league start, bringing youthful energy to Madrid’s attack.
Left-back Fran García came close twice in the opening minutes, forcing a save from David Soria before skying the rebound. Moments later, Madrid’s persistence paid off. After a promising move looked to break down, the ball fell to Güler, who rifled home a low, driven shot from 20 yards out. Soria got a hand to it, but couldn’t keep it out.
Endrick nearly doubled the lead, only for his shot to be partially stopped by Soria and cleared off the line by Djene.
Courtois to the Rescue
Getafe had chances of their own. Mauro Arambarri missed a golden opportunity, dragging his shot wide with only Thibaut Courtois to beat. The Belgian keeper was at his best in the dying minutes, reacting quickly to deny Peter and Juanmi from close range and later blocking a last-gasp strike from Madrid loanee Álvaro Rodríguez.
Elsewhere in LaLiga, Inaki Williams fired Athletic Bilbao to a 1-0 win over Las Palmas, boosting their Champions League hopes. Bilbao remain fourth, now eight points clear of Villarreal in fifth after the latter suffered a 3-0 defeat at Celta Vigo.
The elder Williams brother struck in the fifth minute, expertly turning a defender in the box before finishing with the outside of his boot. Bilbao’s Unai Simón was called into action with two key saves before halftime to preserve the win.
In another key result, Alavés climbed out of the relegation zone with a narrow 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad, pushing Las Palmas into the bottom three.
As the season races toward its climax, both the title race and European qualification spots remain fiercely contested—setting the stage for a thrilling few weeks in Spain.