Carlo Ancelotti praises Real Madrid players following 1-0 win over RB Leipzig in UCL
Feb 14, 2024
New Delhi [India], February 14 : Following Real Madrid's 1-0 win over RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) in Leipzig on Wednesday, the Los Blancos head coach Carlo Ancelotti showered praise on his players and said that he was proud with their "fantastic attitude, immense commitment and quality".
While speaking at the post-match press conference, Ancelotti said that he was very impressed with the way they defended against the German side. He added that they need to "make the most" for the upcoming second leg which will be played at their home stadium, Santiago Bernabeu.
"I have a squad with a fantastic attitude, immense commitment and quality. I was very impressed with how we defended against a team that will always make life hard for you at home. We could have scored more but we could have conceded too. It's a slight advantage and we'll have to make the most of being at home in the second leg, but we'll have to show the same attitude we did today," Ancelotti said as quoted by Real Madrid's official website.
The Italian coach also hailed RB Leipzig and said that they have a "good attacking side" and added that keeping a clean sheet was "great".
"Leipzig are a good attacking side and they're well organised with their wingers coming inside, while they've got two very good and different types of striker. Keeping a clean sheet is great and it shows we did a good job. We struggled with the positioning of their wingers in the first half but we sorted it out later on. Even so, having to dig in was to be expected here," he added.
When asked about Andriy Lunin's performance, he lauded the Ukrainian goalkeeper and said that the goalie was "brilliant" and "highly motivated".
"He was brilliant. He's highly motivated and playing with real confidence. Playing helps him grow in confidence and he was outstanding today, he did a fantastic job in every respect," he added.
Brahim Diaz's lone goal in the 48th minute helped the Los Blancos clinch a 1-0 win over RB Leipzig. The second leg of the 'Round of 16' game will be played on March 7 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
