The head coach of Madrid’s Real Carlo Ancelotti commented on his team’s defeat to Arsenal in the first match of the 1/4 final of the Champions League.
Carlo Ancelotti. Photo: reuters.com"We collectively were unable to respond today. Trying to do this through individual actions, we were punished for it and lost some control. The opponent handled the ball better — the result is disappointing.
While the score was 0:0, I was satisfied, but the reaction that followed [to the conceded goals] was very poor. We had something from the baggage of this entire season. We tried to maintain a compact shape, which gave us a few good moments, but we also had some bad ones today.
We must be honest in our critical self-assessment. Over long stretches of the game, we were not bad — there were some things we successfully executed in the first half. We had the opportunity to raise our level higher, but it completely collapsed in the second half.
Looking at today’s game, there were no opportunities, but anything can happen in football. We need to believe, maintain that belief, because this has often happened at the Bernabeu," Ancelotti is quoted by the official UEFA website.
