Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti would in theory be in a cheerful mood after his side defeated RB Salzburg 5-1 in the Champions League. However, the Italian was irritated when he arrived in the Santiago Bernabeu press room.
Los Blancos were in good form and produced one of their best attacking performances of the season, with a brilliant assist from Jude Bellingham, braces from Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes, and a goal from Kylian Mbappe from high pressure. Yet Ancelotti was irritated by UEFA or his counterpart Thomas Letsch.
“It seems like I'm a little angry… and that's true. I'm angry. The match ended at 11:45 PM [in reality closer to 23:00] and waiting an hour for a press conference is disrespectful to me and to you [the press]”, said the visibly upset Italian coach.
Generally, the away teams give their statements to the press first, followed by the home teams. Including extra time, most matches in Spain don't finish much before 11pm, which can be particularly taxing for fans trying to get home on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
Elsewhere in Europe, Paris Saint-Germain staged an impressive comeback to beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City 4-2 at the Parc des Princes. It leaves City one place and two points away from qualifying for the play-off round, and Ancelotti admitted he would be happy to see them out of the competition.
“Yes, it would be good if Manchester City were eliminated because they are one of the candidates to win the Champions League again,” he told Marca.
City play Club Brugge at home in the final match of the league phase, but know that a win over the Belgian side will guarantee their place in the knockouts. However, if Real Madrid win their final match against Brest, there is a chance the two sides could meet in the play-off round for the fourth season in a row.
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