Carlo Ancelotti names key moment that swung La Liga title

Carlo Ancelotti claimed Jude Bellingham’s late winner against Barcelona was a pivotal moment in the La Liga title race after Real Madrid were crowned champions of Spain on Saturday night.

Los Blancos eased to a 3-0 victory over Cadiz but their 36th top-flight championship was only confirmed later when Barca fell to a 4-2 defeat at Girona, making it impossible for the Catalans to catch Ancelotti’s outfit at the top of the table.

Madrid have had their fair share of injury concerns to deal with throughout 2023/24, with Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba and Eder Militao all missing large parts of the campaign.

However, they have been consistent and lost just one league game so far all season, also squashing any hope Barca had of mounting a comeback in the title race last month with a 3-2 victory in El Clasico.

That was the second time Bellingham had struck late to beat Barcelona, having netted a stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 triumph in October, and Ancelotti hailed the Englishman’s goal as the turning point of their campaign.

“Everyone expected us to slip up and we didn’t slip up,” Ancelotti told real Madrid TV. “Bellingham’s goal against Barcelona gave us the advantage. We had a lot of continuity from the first to the last game.

“We’re very happy and very content. It’s a deserved La Liga in every way and we’ve had fantastic support from the fans. We would like to celebrate with all the fans, but they understand because on Wednesday we have a very important challenge. We want to prepare well to make the fans happy and we will celebrate the title together on Saturday. Now it’s important to have a restrained celebration because Wednesday’s objective is very important.

“The commitment of everyone. It’s been easy to manage this squad because there’s a lot of commitment, few egos, everyone helps each other and are friends.

“We have a good atmosphere and these characteristics have allowed us to win. It’s been a fantastic La Liga campaign, with a lot of continuity, commitment and attitude. Everything has gone well thanks to our players and above all to the fans. Here at the Bernabeu they have given us a lot of support in every game.”

Ancelotti has now surpassed Zinedine Zidane for trophies won as Madrid manager with 12 and is only two behind the legendary Miguel Munoz. The Champions League is still up for grabs this season, with Madrid taking on Bayern Munich in their semi-final second leg on Wednesday with the score locked at 2-2.

Ancelotti added: “I also have in mind that I’m getting closer to the legendary Miguel Munoz. We want to play another final in London. All the fans want it and we will celebrate the title next weekend.”