Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged that his team has a low chance to reach the semi-final of the Champions League after their 3-0 defeat on Arsenal on Tuesday in the first stage of the quarterfinals.
Declan Rice scored two brilliant free kicks and Mikel Merino finished well in the second half to leave the 15-way European champions on the edge of elimination.
Real Madrid only registered three shots on goal and failed to threaten during the game.
“Normally this team increases their game towards the end of the matches,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“It was disappointing, it was bad. We have to be critical of ourselves here and do everything we can recover next week.”
Although the Italian did suggest that his team “was not bad for large pieces of the game”, he was no illusions that their performance level should be much better in the second stage next week.
Arsenal registered 11 shots on goal against Madrid.
That is the joint record (since 2003-04) by a team in a UCL Knockout podium match against Real Madrid (11 by Liverpool in March 2009) #ARsrma pic.twitter.com/09iyGooveo
– Opta Analyst (@Optaanalyst) April 8, 2025
Real Madrid also has some history on their side, with a formidable record of unlikely comebacks in the Bernabeu.
However, they only destroyed a shortage of three goals, against Derby County in the 1975-76 season after a 4-1 defeat on the baseball court.
But Ancelotti was more realistic with his view, but warned that the draw was not yet completely over.
“The possibilities [of qualifying] are quite low, but we have to try 100%. We have to do everything we can, it's an opportunity to show a response to a bad game, “he said.
“If you look at the game tonight, there is no possibility. But football changes. Nobody expected rice to score two goals from set pieces.
“Everything can happen in football. We have to believe, we must have trust because sometimes a lot of time has happened in the Bernabeu.”
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