In the twentieth round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Real Mallorca.
For the home side, Real Madrid, this was by no means an easy match.
Before the match, starting center forward Ibrahimovic was ruled out with an injury and would be sidelined for at least half a month. Robben and Kaka were also rested, so the attack consisted of Yang Yang, Higuaín, Di Maria, and David Silva.
After the match began, Real Madrid launched wave after wave of fierce attacks against Real Mallorca, but they still failed to break the deadlock.
It was not until the sixty-first minute of the second half that David Silva sent a through ball. Yang Yang broke into the left edge of the penalty area to receive it, chipped it over center-back Ramis, then struck a curling shot with his right foot that flew straight into the top-right corner of the goal.
One-nil!
It was also the only goal of the match.
Real Madrid narrowly defeated Real Mallorca by a goal at home.
Barcelona also hosted Racing Santander at Camp Nou in this round. Messi provided a goal and an assist to help Barcelona defeat their opponents three-nil and claim another three points.
Barcelona's passing and possession had been far too stable this season.
In midweek came the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinal.
Real Madrid traveled to face Atletico Madrid.
With players either injured or rested, Real Madrid still could not field their strongest lineup against the Mattress Makers.
Flores's team launched an effective attack right from the opening whistle. They had no choice—their one-three home defeat meant they had to beat their city rivals on home soil.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, defended solidly and counterattacked. In the twenty-third minute, Maicon overlapped down the right and sent in a cross. Yang