Real Madrid gave Carlo Ancelotti and Luka Modric a victory in their final game at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice in a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad to end their La Liga season.
Ancelotti will become Brazil coach after leaving Real, while Modric is set to leave the club after next month’s Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States.
In an action-packed first half Mbappé netted from a rebound in the 38th minute after his tame penalty was easily saved by the Real Sociedad goalkeeper Unai Marrero.
Ancelotti brought on Vinícius Júnior in the second half and the Brazilian combined excellently with Mbappé for Madrid’s second goal as they finished the season second on 84 points, one behind the champions, Barcelona, who play on Sunday. Sociedad are 11th with 46 points.
Despite Madrid having little to play for after surrendering the title, the atmosphere at the Bernabéu was emotionally charged as home fans focused on providing a fitting tribute to their departing favourites. Before the match, giant banners were unveiled with images of Ancelotti and Modric, while the stadium announcer’s confirmation of the Croat’s place in the starting lineup was met with thunderous applause.
The crowd also rose to their feet in the 10th minute to chant “Modric, Modric” and both teams came together to give the midfielder a guard of honour when he was substituted in the 87th minute.
Lucas Vázquez, who is reportedly leaving the club at the end of the season, also received a standing ovation when he was substituted.
There were different kinds of goodbyes elsewhere, with Leganés joining Las Palmas and Valladolid in relegation. Leganés did what they could, beating Valladolid 3-0 at home, but a 2-0 home victory for Espanyol against Las Palmas put paid to their survival hopes.
Elsewhere, Stuttgart beat third-tier Arminia Bielefeld 4-2 to lift the German Cup thanks to goals from Nick Woltemade, Enzo Millot with a double and Deniz Undav. The win earned them a spot in the Europa League’s league phase.
Woltemade put Stuttgart in front after 15 minutes, beating goalkeeper Jonas Kersken with a low shot from the edge of the area, before Millot doubled the lead on the counterattack seven minutes later and Undav added a third goal in the 28th.
Millot scored again to make it 4-0 after 66 minutes but Bielefeld pulled a goal back through substitute Julian Kania eight minutes from full-time before Stuttgart’s Josha Vagnoman netted an own goal in the 85th.
In France, holders Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 3-0 win over Stade de Reims in the Coupe de France final, sealing a domestic treble for the second successive season and preparing for next week’s Champions League final in perfect style.
Luis Enrique’s side had little trouble seeing off relegation-battling Reims, strolling to a 3-0 first half lead with Bradley Barcola netting twice in three minutes and Achraf Hakimi scoring two minutes before the break. Reims were again pinned back in their own half after the interval by a dominant PSG, and while they couldn’t find any further goals, a record-extending 16th French Cup win was never in any doubt.
PSG, already Ligue 1 champions and French Super Cup winners, now aim to win the club their first Champions League trophy when they take on Inter Milan in Munich on 31 May to cap off what would be their greatest ever season.
