Rotated Real Madrid prepare for Chelsea with deserved win at stubborn Cadiz

Real Madrid left it late to find their way past Cadiz in LaLiga Santander on Saturday night, but two goals in a handful of minutes saw them seal a 2-0 win away from home.

Los Blancos had been knocking on the door throughout the game, but came up against an inspired David Gil in the Cadiz goal. For all the attempts they had, they just could not find a way to beat him.

Carlo Ancelotti fielded a strong team for the trip to Cadiz despite it falling between two Champions League games against Chelsea, but there were changes to a midfield that saw the older names left out. Vinicius Junior didn't travel due to muscle fatigue. By the end, even Eden Hazard got some minutes as he came on for the final 10 or so.

Defiant David Gil

Real Madrid had a hatful of chances in the first half but just couldn't find the back of the net. While they had themselves to blame to an extent for their inaccuracy, any shot on goal was smothered by an incredible David Gil.

Even when Gil was beaten, Los Blancos found themselves under such pressure from a disciplined Cadiz backline that they could not finish off their chances as they might have otherwise managed to.

Family affair

The game was billed as a sibling rivalry ahead of kick off with Nacho Fernandez of Real Madrid coming up against his brother Alex of Cadiz. Alex, though, started on the bench for the hosts while Nacho made it into the XI.

Alex's introduction sparked life in his brother. Just moments after his brother's introduction, Nacho rifled in a stunning opener from range, finding a way past David Gil - which was always going to take some doing on the night.

That then gave the visitors confidence and Marco Asensio curled in a fine second just minutes later to kill Cadiz off.

The result means that Atletico Madrid cannot overtake Real Madrid this weekend, and the gap between Los Blancos and leaders Barcelona is temporarily cut to 10 points.