Real Madrid defeated Manchester City 1-0 at home in La Liga on Saturday thanks to an early second-half goal from Aurelien Tchouameni. Prior to the match, the team rested several key players.

Real controlled the game, and Tchouameni scored in the 48th minute to beat diving goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic with a tremendous effort from well outside the penalty area.

Real Madrid now has 78 points, 11 more than their fierce rivals Barcelona, whom they will host in a “El Clasico” game at the Santiago Bernabeu the following weekend.

Barca will take on relegation-threatened Cadiz later on Saturday in their upcoming match. They lead Girona, in third place, by two points after their 3-1 loss to Atletico Madrid.

Champions League runners-up With 31 points, Mallorca is six points clear of the relegation zone in 15th place in the La Liga rankings.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti made five changes to the starting lineup before the Champions League return game against Manchester on Wednesday. The team was held scoreless by City in the first leg on Tuesday.

In addition to resting important players like Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, and Toni Kroos during Saturday’s game in Mallorca, he also gave starts to Nacho and Antonio Ruediger. Tchouameni is not allowed to play in the City match.

In a game that Real Madrid should have won by a wider margin, Nacho and Ruediger looked strong against Mallorca.

In a gloomy first half, Jude Bellingham’s greatest opportunity was foiled as his shot struck the crossbar.

Following Tchouameni’s goal, Real missed numerous opportunities to increase their lead, including Brahim Diaz’s close-range miss.

Ancelotti said at a press conference, “The team has been very solid and very reliable; we haven’t always played well, but the team has always fought and competed.”

Maintaining our lead before the Clasico (next Sunday) was crucial. Here, winning is always difficult.