Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly admitted his team were dominated by Arsenal in the quarter-final first leg of the UEFA Champions League stating they were not expect it.
Declan Rice scored two beautiful free-kicks before Mikel Merino added gloss to the scoreline with a well-executed effort to give The Gunners a comfortable three-goal lead going into the second leg at the Bernabeu.
According to The TNT Sports, after the game, Madrid boss Ancelotti was honest in his appraisal of his side’s performance, which he termed as a “tough loss” for the reigning champions.
“We weren’t expecting this,” he conceded. “The team looked pretty good and well-organised in the first half.
“Following the two set-piece goals, the team dropped off both mentally and physically. It was a difficult end to the game because we didn’t see the reaction we’re used to seeing from this team.
“The final 30 minutes were very poor. There are two assessments here: one that I was satisfied up to 0-0, and the other following the reaction to their goals, which was really poor.”
On Arsenal, Ancelotti added: “They showed a better attitude, more quality and impressive fitness levels today.
“They did a lot of things better than us and we have to be honest with ourselves. We weren’t too bad for an hour, we played pretty well in the first half.”
Los Blancos will be aiming for a miracle ahead of the second leg which is going to take place at the Santiago Bernabeu.
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