Ancelotti admits Real exhausted after penalty shootout, Simeone proud of making it difficult for opponents

Ancelotti admits Real exhausted after nerve-wracking penalty shootout

Real Madrid have booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals , beating Atletico 4-2 on penalties. In the second leg of the round of 16, the two teams went through 120 tense minutes as Atletico scored a goal to level the score at 2-2 after two matches.

Speaking to the media, coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted that Real had a difficult and tiring match, so the whole team was very happy to win: “This was a difficult match, because we made it difficult for ourselves from the first minute.

Coach Ancelotti admitted: “Real is exhausted but very happy”

After the opening goal, Atletico defended very well, looking to take advantage of counter-attacks, while we struggled to attack. But despite the difficulties, we took the game to penalties and won. We are exhausted but also very happy. It was a tough season with so many games, and we all felt the tension.”

Ancelotti also stressed the importance of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for Real: “It’s a tough game, but Real are used to it. We take the Champions League very seriously, and reaching the quarter-finals is extremely important for us, especially when facing a strong opponent like Atletico.

Real have never really been eliminated from the last 16. It wasn’t our best performance, but the important thing was that we kept our composure. The key to winning was to avoid Atletico counter-attacking, because that’s their best weapon.”

Coach Simeone is proud of making Real “sweat”

As for Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid head coach affirmed that he was very proud of his players’ performance, although he admitted that being eliminated in this way was not easy to accept:

Simeone proud of Atletico players

“We played very well, even had chances to increase the score in extra time. We fought very hard and overcame a team with great players. People can feel a little disappointed, but they also know that the team fought hard. I am proud of the players, although we could not win, Real Madrid certainly had difficult moments. I am sure, they will think ‘these guys always make things difficult for us’.

On the other hand, Simeone also praised his opponents: “You are being too harsh on a team with excellent players. Real Madrid have won the Champions League many times. They can be the best team in the world.”

Regarding the situation where Julian Alvarez successfully took the penalty kick, but the referee and VAR did not recognize it because of a rule violation, Simeone commented: “I have never seen VAR review a penalty kick in a shootout. There is always a difference between penalty shootouts in training and real matches. I did not observe clearly how the players took the kick, but from what I saw, Julian could have touched the ball twice, if the referee thinks so, that is his decision.”