Real Madrid didn’t deserve to win at Sociedad in La Liga, Carlo Ancelotti says

SOCIEDAD – Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted that his side were not dominant enough on Sept 14 to deserve a 2-0 win at Real Sociedad, secured with second-half penalties by Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe.

However, the Italian praised his players’ resilience and was proud of how they were able to endure the home side’s pressure and claim three valuable La Liga points.

“It was a complicated match. We didn’t deserve to win, because Real Sociedad pushed us really hard,” he said.

“But we held on and suffered, showed character and a lot of commitment. I value that a lot because it’s not easy to find commitment in a team with so much talent and quality, and today we did it.

“I leave very satisfied and then we have to be self-critical in order to improve. It’s a great opportunity for us to assess what we didn’t do well, but with three more points in the table.”

It was a high-paced, entertaining affair in the Basque Country with both sides missing a string of chances, including three strikes off the woodwork by the hosts.

Real took the lead in the 58th minute with Vinicius netting a penalty after an Arda Guler shot from the edge of the box hit the hand of midfielder Sergio Gomez, who raised both arms in a reflex move to protect his face.

Mbappe secured the three points by putting away his spot kick in the 75th, after Vinicius was stomped on by a defender in a late challenge that was not spotted by the referee but was penalised after a VAR (video assistant referee) review.

With the win, Real remain second in the standings on 11 points before the rest of the round.

Ancelotti acknowledged that his side were struggling with fatigue and poor form, but said it was to be expected due to a busy calendar and coming off the back of the international break.

The 65-year-old also said he saw improvement in Mbappe’s performance as the France captain settles in at his new club, having now scored his third goal for Real.

“We can talk about all the problems in the world with this match, but the important thing was to get out with a win,” added Ancelotti, who was without midfielders Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos and Aurelien Tchouameni.

“When you’re missing four midfielders and not at 100 per cent, it’s very difficult to find the balance. The work of the midfielders who played today, (Luka) Modric, (Federico) Valverde and Arda Guler, was something I value very much.

“I see Mbappe fresher, more active. He’s very dangerous and combines well with Vinicius and the other forwards. He is improving a lot. I liked his game a lot.”

Real will now turn their attention to their Champions League title defence starting on Sept 17 when they host Bundesliga runners-up Stuttgart. REUTERS, AFP