BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Real Madrid’s backups eased to 4-0 win at the relegated Granada on Saturday as Carlo Ancelotti rested most of his top players to avoid costly injures before the Champions League final.
Defender Antonio Rudiger was the only first-choice player who Ancelotti started for a Spanish league game that was inconsequential for either side.
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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Real Madrid’s backups eased to 4-0 win at the relegated Granada on Saturday as Carlo Ancelotti rested most of his top players to avoid costly injures before the Champions League final.
Real Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois warms up prior to a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
Real Madrid's Arda Guler celebrates scoring his side's 2nd goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
Real Madrid's Fran Garcia celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz scores his side's 3rd goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
Real Madrid's Fran Garcia, center, is congratulated after scoring his side's opening goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
Madrid clinched its 36th Spanish league title last weekend. It is now fully focused on the European final against Borussia Dortmund on June 1 in London after eliminating Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Granada didn’t have much to play for either after Mallorca’s 1-0 win at Las Palmas meant the team from southern Spain was relegated. Granada is in 19th place and joins bottom side Almeria in going to the second division. Cadiz is in danger of becoming the third team to drop.
Little used left back Fran García scored and assisted Turkish teenager Arda Guler in the first half. Brahim Díaz made his case for some playing time in the title game against Dortmund after the creative forward scored two second-half goals.
Thibaut Courtois was back in goal for his second appearance of the season after he recovered from an ACL tear and a knee injury. Ancelotti said on Friday he has yet to decide if Courtois or Andriy Lunin, who has played most of the season, will be his pick against Dortmund.
Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga, players with real chances to see minutes in the Champions League final, also started.
"My goal is to arrive to the final with the entire team in peak form, and I think we will do that," Ancelotti said.
Ancelotti and Madrid players will celebrate their league title with supporters in central Madrid on Sunday.
ATHLETIC HELD
Fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao needed an added-time goal against visiting Osasuna to salvage a 2-2 draw, dropping points in its fight for a top-four finish and Champions League berth.
The Copa del Rey champion was five points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid before it hosts Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Asier Villalibre equalized for Athletic on one of the last kicks of the game when Osasuna goakeeper Sergio Herrera spilled a cross after colliding with a teammate.
SORLOTH DOUBLE
Alexander Sorloth scored his second goal with a stoppage-time header to snatch Villarreal a 3-2 comeback win over Sevilla.
The victory kept alive Villarreal’s chances of catching Real Betis in seventh place and the Europa Conference League spot.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Real Madrid's Luka Modric runs on the pitch during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
Real Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois warms up prior to a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
Real Madrid's Arda Guler celebrates scoring his side's 2nd goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
Real Madrid's Fran Garcia celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz scores his side's 3rd goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
Real Madrid's Fran Garcia, center, is congratulated after scoring his side's opening goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada FC and Real Madrid at Los Carmanes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fermin Rodriguez)
French President Emmanuel Macron pushed Thursday for the removal of protesters' barricades in riot-hit New Caledonia and said police forces sent in to help battle deadly unrest in the French Pacific archipelago “will stay as long as necessary," even as French security services focus in coming weeks on safeguarding the Paris Olympics.
By canceling his previously announced schedule to fly across the globe from Paris to New Caledonia, Macron brought the weight of his office to bear on the crisis, which has left six dead and a trail of destruction on the archipelago where Indigenous Kanak people have long sought independence from France.
Pro-independence Kanak leaders, who a week earlier declined Macron's offer of talks by video, greeted him in person on Thursday, joining a meeting in the capital, Nouméa, with rival pro-Paris leaders who want New Caledonia, which became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, to remain part of France.
Macron opened the meeting by calling for a minute of silence for the six people killed in shootings during the violence, including two gendarmes. He then urged local leaders to use their clout to help restore order. He said a state of emergency imposed by Paris for at least 12 days on May 15 to boost police powers could only be lifted if local leaders call for a clearing away of barricades that demonstrators and people trying to protect their neighborhoods have erected in Nouméa and beyond.
“Everyone has a responsibility to really call for the lifting of the barricades, the cessation of all forms of attack, not simply for calm," he said.
Barricades made up of charred vehicles and other debris have turned some parts of Nouméa into no-go zones and made traveling around perilous, including for the sick requiring medical treatment and for families fretting about where to find food and water after shops were pillaged and torched. French authorities say more than 280 people have been arrested since violence first flared May 13 as the French legislature in Paris debated contested changes to New Caledonia voter lists.
The unrest continued to simmer as Macron jetted in, despite a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and more than 1,000 reinforcements for the archipelago's police and gendarmes, now 3,000 strong.
“I will be very clear here. These forces will remain as long as necessary. Even during the Olympic Games and Paralympics," which open in Paris on July 26, Macron said.
It was late Tuesday in Paris when he left on the 16,000-kilometer (10,000-mile) trip but, because of the distance and time difference, it was Thursday morning in New Caledonia when he arrived with his interior and defense ministers.
At Nouméa's La Tontouta International Airport, which remains closed to commercial flights, Macron said on arrival that he wanted "to be alongside the people and see a return to peace, calm and security as soon as possible.”
Later, at Nouméa's central police station, Macron thanked officers for their work in the face of what he described as “an absolutely unprecedented insurrection movement."
“No one saw it coming with this level of organization and violence,” he said. “You did your duty. And I thank you.”
The violence is the most severe in New Caledonia since the 1980s, the last time France imposed on state of emergency on the archipelago. This week, military flights have evacuated stranded tourists.
The destruction is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros (dollars).
“We will discuss questions of economic reconstruction, support and rapid response, and the most delicate political questions, as we talk about the future of New Caledonia,” Macron said. “By the end of the day, decisions will be taken and announcements will be made.”
When asked by a reporter whether he thought a 12-hour visit was enough, Macron responded: “We will see. I don’t have a limit.”
French legislature in Paris approved a bill that will, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for at least 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections.
Opponents fear the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize the Kanaks, who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination.
There have been decades of tensions over the issue of independence between the Kanaks and descendants of colonists and others who settled in the territory of 270,000 and want to remain part of France.
Macron in the past has facilitated dialogue in New Caledonia between pro-independence and pro-France factions. The efforts culminated in a 2018 referendum, the first of three, in which New Caledonians voted to remain part of France by a narrow margin.
Rush reported from Portland, Oregon. Leicester reported from Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron talks to a policeman upon his arrival at the central police station in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has met with local officials in riot-hit New Caledonia, after crossing the globe in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago gripped by deadly unrest.(Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron visits the central police station in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has met with local officials in riot-hit New Caledonia, after crossing the globe in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago gripped by deadly unrest.(Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a meeting with New Caledonia's elected officials at the French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc's residence in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
New Caledonia's President, Louis Mapou reacts during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and New Caledonia's elected officials and local representatives at the French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc's residence in Noumea,New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
France's Minister for Interior and Overseas Gerald Darmanin attends a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, New Caledonia's elected officials and local representatives at the French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc's residence in Noumea,New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
France's Minister for Interior and Overseas Gerald Darmanin attends a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, New Caledonia's elected officials and local representatives at the French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc's residence in Noumea,New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
Frence's Minister for Overseas Marie Guevenoux, left, and France's Minister for Interior and Overseas Gerald Darmanin attend a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, New Caledonia's elected officials and local representatives at the French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc's residence in Noumea,New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron takes notes during a meeting with New Caledonia's elected officials and local representatives at the French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc's residence in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks as sits next to France's Minister for Interior and Overseas Gerald Darmanin, left, during a meeting with New Caledonia's elected officials at the French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc's residence in Noumea,New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the press upon arrival at Noumea ñ La Tontouta International airport, in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the press upon arrival at Noumea ñ La Tontouta International airport, in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron prepares to speak with the press upon arrival at Noumea ñ La Tontouta International airport, in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron prepares to speak with the press upon arrival at Noumea ñ La Tontouta International airport, in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron stands alongside French High Commissioner to New Caledonia, Louis Le Franc, right, during the official welcome ceremony upon his arrival at Noumea ñ La Tontouta International airport, in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron steps off his plane on arrival at Noumea ñ La Tontouta International airport, in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
France's Minister for Interior and Overseas Gerald Darmanin and French Minister for Overseas Marie Guevenoux walk past an honor guard on arrival at Noumea ñ La Tontouta International airport, in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron stands alongside French High Commissioner to New Caledonia, Louis Le Franc, second right, during the official welcome ceremony upon his arrival at Noumea ñ La Tontouta International airport, in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron inspects a guard of honor on his arrival at Noumea ñ La Tontouta International airport, in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks with the press upon arrival at Noumea ñ La Tontouta International airport, in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Macron has landed in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane from Paris in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
In this photo provided by the Australian Defence Force, Royal Australian Air Force Officer, Flight Lieutenant Thomas Rogers, second left, assists Australian and other tourists to a waiting plane for departure from Noumea, New Caledonia, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The Australian military had flown 115 passengers in two flights from the restive French Pacific territory of New Caledonia and would continue to work with France to repatriate all Australians who want to leave, an Australian government minister said Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (LAC Adam Abela/ADF via AP)
A woman waves a Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) flag in Noumea, New Caledonia, Wednesday May 15, 2024. France has imposed a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia. The measures imposed on Wednesday for at least 12 days boost security forces' powers to quell deadly unrest that has left four people dead, erupting after protests over voting reforms. (AP Photo/Nicolas Job)
In this photo released by New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand tourists line up as they prepare to board a RNZAF hercules at Magenta Airport in Noumea, New Caledonia, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Australia and New Zealand have sent airplanes to New Caledonia to begin bringing home stranded citizens from the violence-wracked French South Pacific territory. (P.O. Chris Weissenborn/New Zealand Defence Force Department via AP)
Demonstrators hold Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) flags during a gathering in Paris, Thursday May.16, 2024. Violence raged across New Caledonia for the third consecutive day Thursday, hours after France imposed a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory, boosting security forces' powers to quell unrest in the archipelago that has long sought independence. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
FILE - Smoke rises during protests in Noumea, New Caledonia, Wednesday May 15, 2024. Using backhoes to shove aside charred vehicles, French security forces worked Sunday, May 19, 2024, to retake control of the highway to the international airport in violence-scorched New Caledonia, shuttered because of deadly unrest wracking the French South Pacific island where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (AP Photo/Nicolas Job, File)
France's President Emmanuel Macron waves as he boards his Presidential plane to travel to the Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia, at the Orly airport, Paris Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron waves as he boards his Presidential plane to travel to the Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia, at the Orly airport, Paris Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
