‘Disturbed’ Ancelotti calls Madrid ‘not good from the first minute’ in Spanish Super Cup defeat
Carlo Ancelotti criticized Real Madrid’s defense and said he was “upset with the whole game” after they were beaten 5-2 by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Two-time Super Cup winner Ancelotti saw Kylian Mbappe’s performance as a positive after the striker scored a superb fifth-minute goal, but Barca scored through Lamine Yamal, Roberto Lewandowski, Raphinha and Alejandro Balde to lead 4-1 at half-time in Jeddah.
“We should try to play football, because we didn’t do that in the first half,” Ancelotti told Movistar, via ASwhen asked what he said to his players at halftime.
“We used long balls, but that should have been an option, not an idea. The idea was to play, but we didn’t do it. I said we can lose, but not like in the first half.”
Madrid vs. Barcelona
After Raphinha made it 4-1 in the 48th minute, Madrid received a much-needed boost when Barca goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was shown a straight red card for interfering with Mbappe.
Rodrygo’s 60th-minute free-kick was the end of the European champions’ comeback, with Barca avenging their 4-1 defeat in last season’s final.
We have to look at reality, Ancelotti said. “We didn’t defend well. They scored goals very easily. We did not function well either on a collective or individual level.
“It leaves us sad and disappointed. Our grief is the grief of our fans. I don’t want to point the finger at anyone. They didn’t defend well at the back. The team was not compact.
“The game was not good from the first to the last minute. We were brave and couldn’t create chances. I’m upset about the whole game.”
La Liga: Madrid schedules
Current Spanish champions Madrid are five points ahead of Barcelona in second place La Ligawith leaders Atletico Madrid a point more.
The holders of the Champions League are at home against Celta Vigo in the Round of 16 of the King’s Cup on Thursday (20:30), and on Sunday (15:15) they host 14th Las Palmas in the league.
“There is still a lot of season left and we have to look forward,” Ancelotti said. “[We will] go home, think and prepare for the game on Thursday.”
