Real Madrid, low on motivation, crash to Villarreal defeat as title chances fall further away
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Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze celebrating after scoring the equaliser against Real Madrid. The Yellow Submarines went on to win 3-2.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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MADRID – Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has attributed his side’s 3-2 La Liga home defeat by Villarreal to them not being 100 per cent motivated, leaving the champions slipping further away from retaining the league title.
Real had been imperious as they thrashed rivals Barcelona 4-0 at the Nou Camp in the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Wednesday.
They would have hoped for their momentum to help them negotiate past Villarreal on Saturday, as well as Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday.
However, the physical and mental demands of the Barca clash had drained Real, forcing Ancelotti to make changes on Saturday with an eye on the match with Frank Lampard’s Blues as well.
But Real still succumbed, despite taking the lead twice, leaving them on 59 points in second place and opening the door for Barcelona to go 15 points clear at the summit if they beat Girona on Monday.
“It’s hard to prepare for a match that comes in between two other matches that are much more important. I made a lot of rotations because the Barcelona game took a lot out of us physically and mentally,” Ancelotti told Movistar Plus.
“It was hard to be 100 per cent motivated because the Barcelona game demanded a lot from us emotionally.
“That’s normal, even though this defeat hurts us. It was a difficult game, we had chances and we could have made it 3-1 and slowed down the pace of the game, but it didn’t happen. We could have defended better.
“But, this defeat doesn’t change anything about our motivation for the Champions League. Wednesday’s match will be completely different... The temperature has dropped a little today, but, on Wednesday, it will be at full strength.”
Real took the lead after 16 minutes when Marco Asensio’s cross bounced off Villarreal’s Pau Torres and into the net for an own goal.
The Yellow Submarines, who moved into fifth spot, equalised in the 39th minute through Samuel Chukwueze, who cut inside and beat Nacho before firing low out of Thibaut Courtois’ reach.
Vinicius Jr restored Real’s lead three minutes into the second half with a simple finish for his ninth league strike of the season. Quique Setien’s side levelled again in the 70th minute when Real’s defence failed to clear, allowing Jose Morales to fire home from close range.
Chukwueze scored his second 10 minutes from time, with a spectacular strike from the edge of the box into the top-left corner, to silence the Santiago Bernabeu fans.
Setien lavished praise on Chukwueze, saying: “For a few weeks he’s been giving us a lot, he’s a permanent threat.
“Not just in goals, but in passes, chances, he’s an extraordinary player.”
Added Chukwueze of his match winner: “It’s a crazy goal. It’s a dream to score this goal and win here. I’m very happy for this game.
“The future is going to be much better. I have to take advantage of this moment and keep improving.” REUTERS
