Excerpt: Carlo Ancelotti declared Real Madrid’s job done after they sealed their place in the cup final.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti declared “mission accomplished” after his side staged a dramatic comeback from two goals down to secure a thrilling 4-4 draw on Tuesday, sealing a 5-4 aggregate victory and a place in the Copa del Rey final.
Despite questions about his team’s defensive struggles, Ancelotti praised his players for their resilience in what he described as an exciting contest.
“We have achieved our goal today, which was to reach the final, and there is not much time to dwell on it,” he told reporters. “It was an entertaining game with some mistakes and a lot of good things. It was fun, and we are in the final.
“I never saw us out of it because anything can happen at the Bernabéu. When we have to come from behind, we never give up, especially at home, with the fans by our side.”
Ancelotti also defended David Alaba, who inadvertently deflected two balls into his own net, attributing it to “bad luck” and urging his defence to show greater concentration in future matches.
“It’s not good to concede four goals in a game,” he admitted. “Right now, we are a team that is very effective in attack but lacks balance. However, we can’t ignore what we did up front—scoring four goals against Real is not easy. I think we are doing quite well.”
Real Madrid, who have won the Spanish Cup only once in the past decade, will face either Barcelona or Atlético Madrid in next month’s final in Seville. Atlético fought back to secure a 4-4 draw against Barça ahead of their second-leg clash in Madrid on Wednesday.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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