Ancelotti says Man City were better and deserved victory

2023-05-18 13:44

Ancelotti says Man City were better and deserved victory


Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti admitted they were beaten by better teams as they thrashed Manchester City 4-0 on Wednesday to end up 5-1 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-final .


City, who were beaten by Real Madrid at the same stage last season, avenged that heartbreaking defeat with a superb display in front of cheering fans, with only Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois preventing them from doing more damage.

" They played better than us and they deserved to win, " Ancelotti told reporters.

" They started with a lot of pressure and it worked out well for them because they made it difficult for us to get the ball and they were two goals ahead.

" Since then, it's been difficult to get back into the game. We tried in the second half ... but it didn't work. "

Ancelotti admitted it was a painful night but said it was too early to analyze what went wrong.

" At this point in time, there's no point in making an assessment today, " he said.

" It was a defeat that hurts, hurts deeply. But it can happen. We had a strong opponent in the semi-final of the Champions League and they played better and kept us from the final. We have to learn, For next season, it will be even better.

Ancelotti says Man City were better and deserved victory

A year after winning the La Liga and Champions League double and becoming the first manager to win in Europe's top five leagues, Ancelotti faces finishing the season with nothing but the Spanish Cup and FIFA Club World Cup , to demonstrate their strength and efforts.

However, he did set another record on Wednesday, becoming the manager with the most European Cup appearances ( 191 ), surpassing the record set by former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson.

But with their rivals Barcelona crowned La Liga champions last weekend with four games remaining, Ancelotti can only look for a silver lining.

" I think it's been a good season. We have to do well in the next few games, " Ancelotti said.

" I think reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League is a success because only four teams have reached the last four. "