Real Madrid Coach Carlo Ancelotti “Happy” After Winning 20th Copa del Rey, Sets Sights on Champions League Semifinals Against Manchester City

SEVILLE – The Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, was “happy” after the Madridistas won their twentieth Copa del Rey, beating Osasuna 2-1 in Seville, saying that “winning a final is always difficult” and that now, starting Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against Manchester City, they will “fight” to win the ‘Champions’.

In the press room of the Estadio de La Cartuja, Ancelotti declared that the Cup was played “in a very beautiful environment, against a very strong rival”, and that “moments of suffering have happened, but, in the end” , they have “deserved to win, not only because of what they did today, because a final is always complicated”, but because of “the road” they have traveled, “beating very strong rivals and deserving the title”.

The Italian coach thanked his team, “this squad, this club and the fans”, as they have “achieved something important tonight, winning all possible titles in two seasons”, but he specified that “now Madrid’s demand He tells you that you have to prepare another game on Tuesday”, against City, and they will do it “with a good atmosphere, happy and excited”.

“I’m very happy, I’m also very tired”, asserted ‘Carletto’, especially with games like this one in which “everyone thinks you’re the favourite”, and added: “we’ll find out tomorrow what we’ve achieved only tonight, but in these two seasons”, alluding to the fact that Real Madrid has managed to complete the circle of winning all possible titles in those two years.

Regarding the start of the ‘Champions’ semifinal against City, he indicated that he can only say the following to Real Madrid. “Go for Tuesday, that’s it”, and pointed out that they know that, as in this Cup final and other “many days at the Bernabéu”, the fans are going to “push” them, so they have the “small advantage in the first leg” that they will play “12 (for the fans) against 11”, he joked.

He added that he does not know if they will be able to win the highest European competition, but he affirmed that “of course” that, being “very close to another final”, they are going to “compete and fight”, and that they will do “everything possible to try to play it”.

Ancelotti also highlighted that in the final against Osasuna his team played “the first 30 minutes very well, with good transitions and Vinícius unstoppable”, although afterwards they were “a little nervous and were not calm when they entered the dressing room”, with what that it has “calmed them down a bit because this team has to do only one thing: play football, that we do this very well, and the other, not”, such as “losing control and concentration”.

The Madrid coach admitted that they did not start the second half well and “they suffered”, to the point that Osasuna equalized, but “fortunately Rodrygo has changed the dynamics”, and commented on the Brazilian, mustache-scoring player in the final, that it is not known “Where is his ceiling, because he is a very elegant player, he moves well, he is accurate in front of the goal and he is doing very well, he is progressing in a spectacular way”.

In addition, he highlighted that in defense they did “better than in recent times”, since, with the entry of Rudiger for Tchouaméni in the 69th minute of the Cup final and together with Alaba and Militao, they closed “more the lines” and they were “well positioned”.