"We showed commitment": Real manager Carlo Ancelotti after beating City in UCL R08
Apr 18, 2024
Manchester [UK], April 18 : Following Real Madrid's massive win against Manchester City in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) at the Etihad Stadium, Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti said they showed the commitment to defend the lead during the game.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ancelotti accepted that they could have played better against City. However, he praised his side for defending well.
"There was only one way to get out of here alive. We did well to score early on and then we showed the commitment to defend the lead. We defended well, we had to dig in and fight hard. We could have played better but the team were defensively superb," Ancelotti was quoted by Real Madrid's website as saying.
The Italian coach said that UCL is a special competition for them and they always deliver in this tournament.
"We showed the attitude and commitment demanded by this jersey. This is a very special competition for us and we always deliver something that people are not expecting us to produce. Everyone was writing us off but we're still here," he added.
Talking about the penalties, he said that the Los Merengues players were very confident during the shoot out. He further hailed Lunin and said that the Real Madrid goalkeeper was prepared well.
"They were all very confident and we had no problems choosing the five takers. Lunin was well prepared as well," he added.
Coming to the match, Rodrygo gave Madrid the first lead in the 12th minute, following that the visitors defended well to keep the lead. However, in the 76th minute Kevin De Bruyne equalised the scoreline. Following that, the match went to the penalties where Real Madrid beat City by 3-4 to confirm their spot in the semi-final of the UCL.
In the semi-final round of the prestigious European league, Ancelotti's men will play against Bayern Munich.