Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was asked what it takes to win a penalty shootout after his side beat Atlético Madrid to eliminate them from the UEFA Champions League. “I have no idea. You have to pick the coolest ones possible. I still think it’s a lottery, it’s heads or tails,” he explained. “Today it was heads or tails for us. Atlético leaves this competition with their heads held high because they played at a good level.”
Ancelotti on the game
“The match was difficult, as always, made even more complicated by the goal we conceded. Afterwards, the game was quite clear in the reading. They were defending and trying to find us on the counter. The priority was to look for effective possession and opportunities, but without complicating the game. The tie was evenly matched. It’s difficult to give Atlético chances because defensively they are a very good team. We had a wonderful play by Mbappé, we missed the penalty and the match was balanced until the shootout. We put the best player in the first, Mbappé, and in the fifth we chose Rüdiger because he scored against City.”
Ancelotti on the VAR intervention on Julián Álvarez’s penalty
“I think they had already spotted it. When we realized this doubt, they had already detected it from the VAR. I didn’t notice this. I’ve seen it and it seems to me that he touches the second touch with his left foot.”
Ancelotti on how he handled the game
“Calmly, because when there is a lottery, when it’s heads or tails, you can’t go crazy. You have to wait for what happens.”
Ancelotti on Ferland Mendy
“It’s probably a muscle injury, he felt a pinch in his back.”
Ancelotti on Vini’s missed penalty
“It was decided that Vini would take it, but due to bad luck he missed it”.
Ancelotti on Eduardo Camavinga’s performance
“He has been at his best in the most difficult game. In the last few games he had not been at his best. The Tchouameni-Modrić pairing did very well and I preferred to change Tchouameni, who had a yellow card, to avoid risks. Camavinga played a very good game offensively and defensively.”
Ancelotti on the evolution of the game
“I tried to explain well the priority, which was not to complicate the game by losing unnecessary balls that could find you out of position. If they score to make it 2-0, then the game becomes very complicated. In extra time and in the second half, we found more opportunities.”
Ancelotti on the fifth penalty-taker
“We had doubts between Endrick and Rüdiger. I saw Endrick’s face and we said: ‘Better go for Rüdiger.’”
Ancelotti on why he took off Vinícius
“He wasn’t going to take the penalty and he asked me to change because he was tired.”
Ancelotti on demanding more
“We always have to look for improvement. On the specific issue for this match, I tried to explain what the priority was, because sometimes it seemed that we needed to score a goal, but we were never out of the tie. On the downside, the tie was even.”