La Liga's shutdown couldn’t have come at a better time for Real Madrid. In the seven games before the break brought on by the pandemic, it went out of the Copa del Rey to Real Sociedad, lost the home leg of its Champions League last-16 tie against Manchester City and dropped seven points in five league games. Crucially, though, it did beat Barcelona 2-0 in El Clasico, a result that went a long way toward its ability to claim La Liga's title on Thursday with a 2-1 victory over Villarreal.
The win was Real Madrid’s 10th in a row since football resumed in Spain.