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Carlo Ancelotti Explains Real Madrid 5-2 Loss to Barcelona in Super Cup Final
Real Madrid’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has opened up about his team’s 5-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final, played at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Los Blancos got off to a dream start when Kylian Mbappé found the back of the net just five minutes into the game.
However, Barcelona quickly took control, turning the tide with a dominant display.
Lamine Yamal leveled the score in the 22nd minute, showcasing his talent under the guidance of Barcelona manager Hansi Flick.
By halftime, the Catalan giants were in full command, with Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Alejandro Balde adding their names to the scoresheet, making it 4-1.
Reflecting on the match, Ancelotti admitted his team’s defensive struggles were their undoing.
“We didn’t defend well, whether pressing high or sitting back,” he said in the post-match press conference.
“They scored too easily. We lost key duels and failed both individually and collectively.”
He expressed disappointment, “It’s a tough loss to take.
We’re sad and disappointed, and we’ll carry that with us. But this is football—it demands we learn and move forward.”
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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