MADRID :Real Madrid’s record-breaking manager Carlo Ancelotti had no complaints after his side’s Champions League reign was ended in emphatic fashion by Arsenal in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Italian Ancelotti won a record-extending fifth Champions League trophy last season as Real beat Borussia Dortmund at Wembley but his side went down 2-1 at home to Arsenal for a crushing 5-1 aggregate defeat.
“We have to be honest, in the two games Arsenal have deserved it and have reached the semi-finals,” he said.
“There are two sides to football, the happy part that has happened to us many times and the sad part we have to handle in the same way. It has happened to us fewer times than to other teams but we have to manage it because it allows us to be better in the next games.”
When Real keeper Thibaut Courtois saved Bukayo Saka’s early penalty and minutes later Real were awarded a spot kick for a push by Declan Rice on Kylian Mbappe it seemed that the great escape might still be a possibility.
But Real’s penalty was overturned after a lengthy VAR check and in truth they never looked remotely threatening as their bid for a 16th European Cup crown ended in feeble fashion.
“To change the dynamic we needed something positive, like the penalty he whistled and then took off. We needed something to have more confidence, but we were not able to change the dynamic of the first leg,” Ancelotti said.
Despite the defeat, Ancelotti said Real’s season still has plenty of possibilities, not least trying to bridge a four-point gap to La Liga leaders Barcelona.
“Now we are in the fight for La Liga. We have a disadvantage but we have the Barcelona game, we have the Copa del Rey final, the Club World Cup and we have to manage this part, which is another part of football that we are not used to,” he said.
“It’s time to hold our heads high and learn from our mistakes. It’s sad today but I have absolutely no worries about how my players will respond. We’ll fight on, we’ll learn from the experience and we’ll try to be better for the next match.”
