Madrid (March 5, 2025) – Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed satisfaction with his team’s resilience after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Rodrygo opened the scoring for Madrid, but Atletico’s Julian Alvarez equalized before Brahim Diaz netted the winner in the second half.
Despite missed chances from Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe, Ancelotti focused on the positives, emphasizing that the win was crucial against one of Europe’s top teams.
“These are evenly matched games. Atletico are a top team in Europe,” said Ancelotti. “We’ve gained a small advantage, but it’s just the first leg. We need more effort to advance.”
He acknowledged Real’s mistakes in the first half but praised the team’s improvement after the break.
Ancelotti also defended Mbappe and Vinicius, crediting Atletico’s defense for limiting their impact.
“They worked hard, and although they didn’t show their best, they have the return leg to do so,” he added.
