MANCHESTER, England: Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti praised his team’s efforts after they put in a solid performance to come from behind to win 3-2 at Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League play-offs early this morning.
Ancelotti was delighted to finally steer Real to their first win at the Etihad Stadium, a victory he felt was deserved given the chances they created, with Real having 20 attempts to City’s 11, despite trailing twice.
Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz cancelled out Erling Haaland’s double for City with Jude Bellingham grabbing a late winner to give the reigning champions the lead.
“I think it was a complete game in all aspects, no criticism from me,” Ancelotti told Movistar Plus.
“Everyone worked hard. We had a lot of chances. We didn’t give up when we were behind. It was a complete and flawless performance. I think we deserved to win.
“We defended well, with a compact block… they took the lead through penalties but up front our players were very effective. They could have been sharper, but they created a lot of chances with movement, teamwork and individual quality.”
Ancelotti was not surprised that his team was able to put on such a performance but asked his players to focus and not be overconfident for the second leg.
“This decision is a complicated one. You win, it can relax your challenge, believe you don’t have to rise and we can’t be fooled by the trap,” said the Italian.
“You have to prepare well, like we did today, with the same focus, quality and sacrifice, like tonight, a great performance.”