Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has showered encomiums on his players for their impressive performance against Manchester City to earn a 3-2 win in the Champions League playoff, Sportivationng.com reports.
He was delighted to finally lead Real to their first success at the Etihad Stadium, a victory he thought was deserved due to the chances created, with Real having 20 shots compared to 11 from City, despite falling behind twice.
Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz cancelled out a double from City’s Erling Haaland with Jude Bellingham striking a last-gasp winner to give the holders an edge in the tie.
“I think it was a complete game in all aspects, beyond criticism from my part,” Ancelotti told Movistar Plus.
“Everyone worked hard. We had a lot of chances. We didn’t give up when we were behind. It was a well-rounded, unblemished performance. I think we deserved the win.
“We defended well, with a compact block … they took the lead with a penalty but up front our players were very effective. They could have been a bit more accurate, but they generated a lot of chances with mobility, teamwork and individual quality.”
Ancelotti was not surprised his side were able to deliver such a performance but played down their advantage, urging them to keep focused and not be overconfident in the second leg.
“The result is a trick result. You’ve won, it can make you lower your arms, believe that you don’t have to come back and we can’t fall into that trap,” the Italian added.
“You have to prepare well, as we did today, with the same focus, quality and sacrifice, just like tonight, which was a great performance.
“Now is when the season starts for real and despite the difficulty we faced playing at a very hard place to visit we were able to earn a very good result.”
“I always say to the Spanish journalists, defending is a team problem,” Ancelotti said. “Today we were a team that defended well. Four defenders who never played together, they played a good game because the team worked really well defensively altogether.
“We feel calm and happy. We did well in the first half of this tie. We have taken a small advantage. We have to continue like this in the second leg. The match went well.”
Ancelotti was also asked about the banner that City supporters displayed pre-match of Rodri’s Ballon d’Or win, after Los Blancos boycotted the event because Vinicius Jr did not win the award.
“I don’t know if he has seen it. Watching his game, perhaps it has been a motivation for him. He has always been very dangerous.”
