🌐 Also available in: Español
Original source: Mundo Maldini
This video from Mundo Maldini covered a lot of ground. 3 segments stood out as worth your time. Everything below links directly to the timestamp in the original video.
The Copa del Rey final will feature two teams from outside Spanish football's usual power circles, raising questions about whether the dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona is genuinely being challenged.
Athletic Club Steamrolls Atlético de Madrid, Sets Up Copa del Rey Final Clash with Mallorca
Athletic Club Bilbao decisively eliminated Atlético de Madrid, with analysts describing their superiority as overwhelming and attributing a central role to Diego Simeone's flawed tactical approach. The Argentine coach's gamble on Marco Llorente as a double pivot and Lino as a winger—a variant that had partially worked in the first leg—found no effective counter in San Mamés. Iñaki Williams scored what is being called one of the season's best goals, and the two Williams brothers combined for the second goal—Nico assisting Iñaki for the first, Iñaki assisting Nico for the second—before Guruzeta sealed the victory with the third. Atlético, according to analysis, appeared to have given up at the start of the second half, even hitting the post with the score already at 2-0.
This victory consolidates Athletic's excellent run of form and highlights the structural difficulty of overturning away ties: only twice in the last twenty years has such a feat been achieved under these conditions, with Real Madrid accomplishing it just last season. The final between Athletic Club and Mallorca also takes on a broader institutional significance: the Bilbao side will also compete in the Spanish Supercopa in Saudi Arabia, outlining a significant competitive cycle for a club that has not won national titles in decades.
"Atlético lacked assertiveness, lacked finishing, and their substitutions also failed to work."
Ancelotti Targets Courtois and Militao Return After April 14
Carlo Ancelotti refrained from setting a concrete return date for Thibaut Courtois and Éder Militao, who have been injured since August, but offered the media the first precise timeframe: both would begin working with the group during the international breaks between March 16 and 31, and the period coinciding with the Copa del Rey final, to be available to play after April 14, the date of the match against Mallorca. The strategy, as explained by the Italian coach, is to use the non-competition windows to gradually reintegrate the two players into the team's collective dynamics.
The relevance of this calendar transcends medical management. Courtois and Militao are fundamental pieces in Real Madrid's defensive structure, and their prolonged absence has coincided with the most demanding phase of the season in the Champions League. Confirmed availability from mid-April would place both players in contention for the decisive stages of the European competition, making April 14 not merely a recovery milestone, but a potential turning point for the club's aspirations in the final stretch of the season.
"Not a defined date, no. But the plan is that we have to take advantage of the international break... I believe they could be available to play after April 14."
Ancelotti Praises Valencia CF's Response to Racism, Calls for Collective Societal Action
Asked by a TNT Sports Brazil journalist whether Spanish football has made progress in the fight against racism since the incidents during Real Madrid's visit to Mestalla, Carlo Ancelotti responded affirmatively and pointed to Valencia CF as a model of action. The Italian coach emphasized that the Valencian club had responded decisively and broadened the argument beyond sport: racist insults or acts of violence constitute crimes that demand a response from all of society, not just the world of football.
Ancelotti's statement carries institutional weight precisely because of its conciseness: it neither evades the Mestalla episode nor relativizes it, but rather turns it into a reference for necessary management. That a coach of his influence and international prominence places responsibility on society as a whole—and not just on clubs or federations—reflects increasing pressure on sports institutions to treat racism as what it legally is: a crime, with proportional consequences.
"Society must act when someone commits a crime, be it a racist insult or an act of violence. I believe Valencia Football Club has acted in the best way in this regard."
Also mentioned in this video
- Un periodista de Radio Nacional pregunta a Ancelotti sobre el 250º partido de… (0:16)
- Un periodista de Onda Cero pregunta a Ancelotti si el equipo ha superado las… (1:42)
- Un periodista de El Chiringuito pregunta a Ancelotti si el próximo partido será… (2:54)
- Un periodista de Relevo pregunta a Ancelotti sobre la situación contractual de… (3:42)
- Un periodista de Marca pregunta a Ancelotti sobre los rumores de fichar un… (4:36)
- Un periodista de Radio Marca pregunta a Ancelotti si el vestuario se siente… (6:15)
- Un periodista de Diario AS pregunta a Ancelotti sobre el regreso de jugadores… (6:54)
- Un periodista de El País pregunta a Ancelotti sobre Arda Güler y si su falta de… (8:35)
- Un periodista de Diario AS pregunta a Ancelotti si el equipo se siente más… (10:07)
- Se abre una encuesta sobre si el Atlético de Madrid debería plantearse la… (19:15)
- Se continúa el debate sobre la posible salida del Cholo Simeone del Atlético de… (22:50)
- Se presenta un informe del partido Athletic Club vs. Atlético de Madrid,… (25:26)
- El presentador califica a los jugadores del Athletic Club, otorgando un seis a… (33:02)
- El presentador califica a los jugadores del Atlético de Madrid, suspendiendo a… (40:32)
- El presentador comparte los enlaces de WeTransfer para descargar los partidos… (50:00)
- El presentador continúa presentando los 'imperdibles' de la jornada, incluyendo… (57:11)
- El presentador, picado por una pregunta, busca y muestra imágenes de un partido… (1:04:02)
- Se analiza el Valencia-Real Madrid, destacando la importancia del partido para… (1:35:56)
- Se repasa el Athletic Club-Barcelona, destacando la baja de Nico Williams por… (1:42:00)
Summarised from Mundo Maldini · 1:59:56. All credit belongs to the original creators. Streamed.News summarises publicly available video content.
