Ancelotti hopes Girona embarrassment is wake-up call for Real Madrid

By Sports Desk April 25, 2023

Carlo Ancelotti hopes Real Madrid's embarrassing 4-2 defeat away to Girona on Tuesday serves as a wake-up call.

Madrid never led at Montilivi, falling 2-0 down inside 24 minutes thanks to a couple of goals from Taty Castellanos.

Vinicius Junior pulled one back, but Castellanos added another two in the second half before Lucas Vazquez's late consolation.

Castellanos became the first player this century to score four goals in one LaLiga game against Madrid, and the defeat means Barcelona could extend their lead at the summit to 14 points on Wednesday.

While Madrid's LaLiga hopes are all but over, they are into the Champions League semi-finals and final of the Copa del Rey – they still have much to play for this term, and Ancelotti hopes this defeat jolts them back into life.

Asked if the loss could be a wake-up call, Ancelotti said: "Yes, it can be, although a loss is never good.

"I reiterate the importance of defensive commitment: if we have that, we will always win, and if not, it will cost us. That is the key, our key, and today we didn't have it.

"Of the last seven games, we kept six clean sheets, and in this game, [we conceded] four goals. I hope my players have understood. If not, I will repeat it to them every day."

But it was not just the defence Ancelotti was frustrated by.

He found the individual level lacking across the team and felt they did not work collectively after finding themselves in trouble

"It's tough, because when you lose it has to be tough," he added. "The game was bad in defence and that has been the key, because we did well with the ball, especially at the beginning.

"But we weren't forceful in duels, they caught us on two counters... and from there, everything became more difficult.

"We tried to come back individually, not as a team, because today the team has not played. The individual level was also below normal, but not just for some, rather in general. The level was very low."

Related items

  • Alcaraz's pursuit for third straight Madrid Open crown continues Alcaraz's pursuit for third straight Madrid Open crown continues

    Carlos Alcaraz boosted his hopes of a third straight Madrid Open title as he comfortably beat Thiago Seyboth Wild to reach the fourth round on Sunday.

    Back in his home country of Spain, Alcaraz eased to a 6-3 6-3 triumph to set up a fourth-round clash with Jan-Lennard Struff, whom he beat in last year's final.

    The first six games of the opening set went to serve, but Alcaraz found a crucial break in the seventh and ninth games of the set to put him in pole position for victory, a lead he would not relinquish as he overcame being broken in the seventh game of the second set to seal his safe progression.

    Holger Rune was a surprise casualty as the world number 12 was defeated 6-4 4-6 6-3 by Tallon Griekspoor, though world number eight Andrey Rublev eased through with a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

    Data Debrief

    With his triumph over Seyboth Wild at the Madrid Open, Alcaraz has now won 93.3 per cent of his games at the tournament. That is the highest win percentage of any player with at least 10 games played in a single ATP-1000 event since the format was introduced in 1990.

    Against Seyboth Wild, Alcaraz won 27 of his 31 first-serve points, also recording 19 winners to his opponent's 10 as he dominated the contest on his way to victory.

  • Napoli 2-2 Roma: Late Abraham header denies wasteful hosts Napoli 2-2 Roma: Late Abraham header denies wasteful hosts

    A wasteful Napoli were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Roma in Serie A, with a late Tammy Abraham header securing a point for the visitors.

    The visitors took the lead from the penalty spot a minute before the hour mark, with Paulo Dybala converting after Juan Jesus fouled Sardar Amzoun.

    However, Napoli equalised six minutes later through Matias Olivera's deflected shot, and completed the turnaround with their own penalty six minutes from time as Victor Osimhen tucked away after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was felled by Renato Sanches.

    The hosts could not hold on, though, and were pegged back with two minutes to go. Substitute Abraham's header from a corner was eventually awarded following a VAR review after he had initially been ruled offside.

    Data debrief

    Napoli remain eighth in the Serie A table on 50 points, the exact amount they had registered after their opening 19 games of last season.

    Though his penalty was not enough to earn Roma victory, Dybala continued his impressive start to 2024, during which he has been involved in the joint-most goals in Serie A with 12 (nine goals, three assists).

  • Paris Saint-Germain Women 1-2 Lyon Women (agg 3-5): Eight-time Champions League winners through to 11th final Paris Saint-Germain Women 1-2 Lyon Women (agg 3-5): Eight-time Champions League winners through to 11th final

    Lyon are through to their 11th Women's Champions League final after sealing a 5-3 aggregate victory over compatriots Paris Saint-Germain.

    The record eight-time winners scored three times in the final 10 minutes of last week's first leg to take a narrow 3-2 lead into the return fixture at Parc des Princes.

    However, they were quicker out of the blocks in the second leg, with just three minutes on the clock when Selma Bacha drilled home from range for her first Champions League strike in five-and-a-half years.

    Tabitha Chawinga responded before the break to reduce PSG's aggregate deficit to a single goal, but Melchie Dumornay put the tie beyond doubt nine minutes from time, as Sonia Bompastor's side set up a final showdown with Barcelona on May 25.

    Data debrief

    Lyon continued their dominance over PSG in Champions League semi-final encounters, having now progressed from each of their last four such ties.

    The eight-time champions lost their first two semi-finals they contested in this competition, but have now won each of the last 10, and will seek a record-extending ninth title in Bilbao next month.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.