Craig Burley reacts to Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over RB Leipzig to advance to the Champions League (1:27).
Carlo Ancelotti admitted Real Madrid underperformed in the 1-1 Champions League last-16 draw against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, calling it a “bad game” and saying the team “needs to improve” after progressing 2-1 on aggregate.
Vinícius Júnior gave Madrid the lead in the 65th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu, converting a pass from Jude Bellingham, but Willi Orbán equalised for Leipzig 3 minutes later to create a nervy finish, with Leipzig’s Dani Olmo hitting the crossbar in stoppage time.
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“It was a bad game, with little intensity,” Ancelotti told Movistar. “The mental aspect has conditioned our game. We played against a quality opponent, who had nothing to lose, and we slowed down from start to finish. We suffered, but the vital thing is to get to the quarter-finals, and here we are. “
Madrid failed to convert a shot on goal in the first half, and Ancelotti fired in a shot at half-time, bringing on striker Rodrygo for midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.
“The concept of pressing more, with midfielders full of life, but we played with the brakes,” Ancelotti said. “No pressure, slow with the ball, not direct, with lateral passes.
“It’s clear it wasn’t a smart night. It’s my fault. Sometimes in the Champions League it can happen. It happened to us against Chelsea at home [in April 2022]. But a bad game can take you out. “
Despite those disappointing performances, Madrid are now in the quarterfinals of the Champions League (along with Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City) and are the most sensitive in La Liga.
“We’re seven places ahead in the league and we’re in the quarter-finals. If they had presented us with this at the beginning of the season, we would have taken it,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference.
“Maybe I made a mistake with the starting eleven. We want to be self-critical and improve. . . Today’s complaint is well deserved. The whistles [from the crowd] at half-time were deserved. “
“We suffered a lot. They played well and we played badly, simple,” Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger said. “We were sloppy, slow, without intensity. In the Champions League you can be punished for that. . . We didn’t find the right answer today.
“You have to stay more than 90 minutes. It wasn’t a performance, but in the end we finished. “