While Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti was pleased with his side's comeback win over second division Valencia on Friday, he criticized their first-half performance, which saw them trail by a goal.
Luka Modric and Jude Bellingham both scored in the final few minutes of the match after Vinicius Junior was sent off in the 79th minute, and earned three points after Hugo Duro opened the scoring after 27 minutes.
“It's hard to explain how bad we were in the first half and how good we were in the second half, with one man less,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“We deserved three points, but we cannot show these two sides. Very bad in the first half, very good in the second with 10 men.”
Bellingham's winner came in the 95th minute, having missed a penalty earlier in the half. Ancelotti was pleased with his ability to make amends for his performance but was annoyed at his side for failing to score three of their last four penalties.
5 – Valencia had five shots on target in the first half against Real Madrid, the most at half-time in a LaLiga match since a year ago (5 against Villarreal on January 2, 2024). Resurrection.
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 3, 2025
“It bothers me that we missed three penalties. I think I have to take responsibility for choosing who will take the penalty,” he said.
“Bellingham didn't lose confidence after missing the penalty, it gave him extra motivation. His last thirty minutes can only be done by him. He made an extraordinary effort.”
The main negative of the evening from a Real Madrid perspective was the red card for Vinicius, which he received for punching Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
“We think it was not a red card… But the team has responded to this difficulty. We will appeal, I don't know if they will accept it,” Ancelotti said.
After the result, Real Madrid climbed to the top of LaLiga, two points above Atletico Madrid, who have a game in hand. Valencia remain 19th in the table, four points away from safety and level with Valladolid, the league's bottom tier.
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