Carlo Ancelotti admitted that it is “difficult to explain” why Real Madrid’s performance dropped off in the second half of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal, but confirmed that he feels responsible “without doubt” for the hefty defeat.
A pair of fantastic free-kicks from Declan Rice and a fierce effort from Mikel Merino forced los Blancos to succumb to a 3-0 loss at the Emirates Stadium, which Ancelotti labelled as “a tough loss that we weren’t expecting.”
“The team was quite good and organised in the first half. After the two free-kick goals the team dropped off mentally and physically. It was difficult to finish the game because we didn’t have the reaction that this team usually has. The final 30 minutes were very bad,” he told reporters in his post-match press conference.
“It’s difficult to explain. There was no joint reaction and we tried to do everything individually. [Arsenal] controlled the ball better and got the result.”
On his side’s chances of mounting a comeback at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Ancelotti added: “We have to do everything possible to try and bounce back. The possibilities are very slim but we have to try, and we will try, in every way. We’ll see if we’re capable of doing it. It seems like after tonight there are no possibilities but in football, things always change. Nobody expected that Arsenal would score two goals from free-kicks but anything can happen.”