Real Madrid and Manchester City played to a 1-1 draw, but Carlo Ancelotti was not pleased with the refereeing of Kevin De Bruyne’s incredible equalizer; Pep Guardiola claims that the second leg is “like a final” because Vinicius Jr. gave Real the lead with an equally stunning goal.
Manchester City’s equalizer in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal on Tuesday, according to Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti, should not have been counted.
Ancelotti felt Bernardo Silva crossed the touchline before Kevin De Bruyne’s incredible goal, and he was upset with the referee for not consulting VAR after City’s goal.
Ancelotti was still upset with the official after the game since he received a yellow card for entering the field of play when objecting to the goal by referee Artur Soares Dias.
“The ball was off the pitch,” Ancelotti said. “The technology said it. I don’t understand why VAR didn’t check it. The referee didn’t pay attention to many things tonight.”
Ancelotti’s team first found it difficult to handle City, but after taking the lead, they settled into the match and began to appear more dangerous.
When the hosts were in control, De Bruyne stood up for his club to equalize with an equally stunning goal after Vinicius Jr. had given Real Madrid the lead against the flow of play with a thundering attempt.
To escape penalties, they must now defeat City at the Etihad, a feat that has only been accomplished by Brentford this season, in order to advance to the Champions League final.
“A good game, an interesting game,” Ancelotti continued in his interview with BT Sport. First half was challenging for us; the second half was much better. They had the most of the ball in the first half, but we had fantastic defensive control and created a lot of problems when we tried to play the ball.
“You have to keep your composure, maintain your defensive position, do not press too hard, stay there and play the low block, and when we had the chance, we scored the first goal. Even though [Vinicius Junior] is having a great game, the squad played well.
“You have to stay calm, you have to keep the position defensively, do not go crazy to press, stay there and play the low block, and when we had the opportunity we scored the first goal. [Vinicius Junior] is in a fantastic moment but the team played well.
“I am satisfied, with a good sensation about the game on Wednesday.”
