Champions League: Ancelotti says Real Madrid are ‘exhausted’ while Simone is proud of Atletico

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti feels ‘exhausted’ after watching his side win on penalties against city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, praising his players for staying ‘calm’ despite not delivering ‘our best performance’.

Real Madrid triumphed in a dramatic penalty shootout at the end of a tense second leg, where Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 victory forced extra time after their 2-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu a week earlier.

Costly misses from Atlético’s Julian Alvarez and Marcos Llorente proved decisive in the shootout, with Antonio Rüdiger holding his nerve to convert the final spot-kick and seal Los Blancos’ place in the quarter-finals, where they will meet Arsenal.

“It was a tough, difficult match, and we made it even harder for ourselves right from the first minute,” Ancelotti told Amazon Prime Video after the match.

“Their goal changed the game: they defend very well and look to exploit counterattacks, while we struggled in attack. But despite all the difficulties, we managed to take it to penalties and win.

“These are tough matches, but we’re used to them. We care a lot about this competition, and reaching the quarter-finals was crucial for us, especially against a very difficult opponent like Atletico.

“We’re exhausted but happy.

“It was incredibly tough; it’s a demanding season with too many games, and we’re all feeling the strain.

“We were never really out of this tie. It wasn’t our best performance, but the important thing is that we stayed calm. The key was avoiding their counterattacks because that’s their main weapon.”

And Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone made it clear it was a performance to be proud of for Atleti,

“I wouldn’t talk about luck. I would talk about feeling proud of the team we have, the way we always compete, and it will remain in the history of this process that we have in the club. It was a very well controlled match at all times. We had chances to extend the score, we didn’t have the precision at the end of the season, they controlled possession without chances. The penalty came, they missed and I think we played an incredible game.

“I am proud of our players. Surely they always beat us in the Champions League, but they have a hard time, they have a bad time.”

Simeone also reacted to the controversy during the penalty shoot-out. Julian Alvarez’s penalty was adjudged to have been an illegal strike by the VAR team, who stated that the Argentine striker had touched the ball with his left foot as well as his right.

“Penalties are not worked; they are different in matches. They tell me that Julian seems to touch or does not touch the ball when he shoots – if the referee considers it will have been like that.”