Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez28th Off, 2023, 3:25PM Reading: 3 min.
Carlo Ancelotticoach of Real Madridsaid he was “surprised” by the performance of Jude Bellingham after the midfielder scored twice in the 2-1 victory over Barcelonathis Saturday (28), saying that “right now he is the player who is making the difference”.
Bellingham tied the match with a great goal from outside the box – after Ilkay Gundogan having put Barça ahead in the sixth minute – before scoring the winner in stoppage time to leave Real Madrid at the top of the league table LALIGA with 28 points.
“He scored a stupendous goal in the first and was intelligent in the second,” Ancelotti said in a post-match press conference. “We are surprised. Everyone is surprised by his level of efficiency, especially in attack.”
“He enters the area, but today the shot [do primeiro gol] He surprised us, he scored a great goal… Right now it’s the player who is making the difference.”
The English star now has ten goals in ten league games this season – being LALIGA’s top scorer – and 13 in all competitions, having scored three times in the Uefa Champions League.
“He looks like a veteran, his attitude is very good,” said Ancelotti. “The equalizing goal completely changed the dynamic, it meant more strength for us and more weakness for Barcelona, who until then had played better.”
Bellingham’s midfield partner Luka Modric added praise for him.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Modric said. “He arrived and it looks like he has been here for a long time. He landed on his feet. We are all happy with his performance, his personality, how he is.”
“It’s not a coincidence [o que ele está fazendo]. He’s a top-notch guy, an extraordinary talent. Even he can’t believe the goals he’s scoring.”
Real Madrid struggled in the first half, failing to get a single shot on goal.
Carlo Ancelotti pulls Vinicius Jr. by the hand after substitutionGetty Images
“I told them you can lose these games, but if we had to lose, we would have to do it differently,” Ancelotti said when asked about his half-time conversation with the team. “More energy, more motivation, better in duels. For what they did in the second half, [a equipe] agreed.”
Ancelotti said, however, that the team should not rely solely on Bellingham’s goals, and called up the forwards Vinícius Junior – who has two goals in LALIGA this season – and Rodrygo Goes – who has one – to contribute.
“20 to 25 goals, [Bellingham] can score comfortably,” said Ancelotti. “He started well, but we don’t think of him as a goalscorer, we think he is a very important player for us, who is scoring a lot of goals at the moment. We need goals from the attackers too.”
Real Madrid’s next games:
2023-10-28 18:25:00
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