Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted that his side didn’t deserve their 2-0 win over Real Sociedad, secured by second-half penalties from Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappé. Despite the victory, Ancelotti acknowledged that Sociedad were the better team, but praised his players for showing resilience under pressure.
It was a complicated match. We didn’t deserve to win because Real Sociedad pushed us hard,” Ancelotti said. “But we held on, showed character, and I value that commitment, especially in a team with so much talent.
Ancelotti said Madrid, now with 11 points remained second in La Liga, a point behind leaders Barcelona. He explained that some of the struggles were due to fatigue, especially with their four main midfielders in Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos, and Aurelien Tchouameni all out injured.
Ancelotti made compliments to the performance of Mbappé, scorer of his third goal for the club. “I see Mbappé fresher, more active. He’s improving a lot and he combines well with Vinicius and the other forwards,” pointed out the Italian coach.
Ancelotti mentioned that despite the difficult game, the three points were important on the eve of Real Madrid receiving Stuttgart next Tuesday in defense of its title in the Champions League.
We can discuss the problems of this match, but the important thing was to win,” Ancelotti concluded.
