Barcelona and Atletico Madrid were also among a slew of top-flight clubs joining La Liga in expressing their condolences for Francis.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti praised his team's character after their hard-fought 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, keeping their LaLiga title hopes alive while responding in the best possible way to their Champions League exit.

Fede Valverde's superb 93rd minute strike kept Real Madrid on Barcelona's tail in the Spanish title race, earning the champions a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Barcelona will be aiming to open up a seven-point lead at the top of LaLiga table when they welcome Europe-chasing Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp is "very happy" in his current post at Red Bull despite rumours linking him to a return to management with Real Madrid, his agent said Friday.

Declan Rice said Arsenal are on course for "special things" after beating Real Madrid 2-1 in the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday to cruise into the Champions League semifinals 5-1 on aggregate.

Mbappe will miss Madrid's next La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, as Ancelotti's side try to overhaul leaders Barcelona.

A violent tackle that had Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe sent off in their 1-0 LaLiga win at Deportivo Alaves on Sunday was a consequence of a number of small fouls committed against the Frenchman, said assistant coach Davide Ancelotti.

Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe was sent off for an ugly lunge but his side still beat Alaves 1-0 on Sunday to stay four points behind Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

It was his first red card after joining the Spanish and European champions last summer.

"I shouldn’t talk about things about my future, because the contract is quite clear. Whatever it is, it will be talked about at the end of the season," Ancelotti told reporters on Saturday.

Los Blancos are four points behind leaders Barcelona, who visit Leganes on Saturday, and need to bounce back from their 3-0 thrashing by Arsenal on Tuesday in the Champions League.

Three goals in 17 minutes. The Emirates roared. The dragon was down.

Arsenal’s hero in their 3-0 Champions League first-leg quarterfinal triumph against Real Madrid, Declan Rice, revealed he had ignored specific instructions from set-piece coach Nicolas Jover before scoring two sensational free-kicks at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.  

"The possibilities (of qualifying) are quite low, but we have to try 100%," he told reporters

Rice scored with two sublime free-kicks in the second half of the quarter-final first leg at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

The English top flight needed just one win from its clubs in any of the three European competitions to secure one of two extra berths - on top of the four granted to the top four in the table - awarded to the highest-ranked countries in the UEFA coefficient ranking.

Arsenal stormed to a stunning 3-0 win over Champions League holders Real Madrid as Declan Rice's free-kick masterclass left the Gunners within touching distance of a place in the semifinals.

Real Madrid have set the bar sky high with six Champions League titles in a decade and their demanding fans have been voicing concerns as last year's European and Spanish champions struggle for consistency this season.

The Belgium goalkeeper has missed the past three matches for the Spanish team with an injury.