Real Madrid bounced back from their humiliating loss in Spanish La Liga Week 22 with an impressive 2-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruña on Saturday at Santiago Bernabeu in Spain.
Real Madrid, who took a disappointing 4-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in their Madrid 'Derbi' last week, took a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute off a goal from Isco. Karim Benzema then scored their second goal of the match in the 73rd minute en route to the victory in front of more than 73,000 fans at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was impressed with the way his squad responded to his challenge after their humiliating loss against their city rival, which gave Atletico Madrid and rival FC Barcelona a chance to close the gap in the title race.
"The game was not an easy one, I believe we played in some parts well," Ancelotti said via ESPN FC. "This is a delicate, complicated moment, and we have come out with a win. This came after a result which surprised and frustrated us."
Real Madrid were heavy favorites heading into the match, but Ancelotti said he warned his players that Deportivo could pull off a surprise against them. To his delight, the veteran manager said that his players played with a lot of sense of urgency on Saturday.
"This was the Madrid I expected to see," Ancelotti said. "I told the players we could have problems in the game, they must always be focused and motivated to win it. It was about the result today, and in the end we did well. The reaction of the team was very good."
With the win, Real Madrid remained on top of the Spanish La Liga table with 57 points in 23 matches. They are currently four points ahead of FC Barcelona and seven points ahead of Atletico Madrid.
FC Barcelona will have the chance to pull within a point of Real Madrid on Sunday as they are set to face Levante at Camp Nou, 11 a.m. EST. Atletico Madrid could also add three points to their total when they take on Celta Vigo at Estadio Balaidos on Sunday, 3 p.m. EST.