On paper, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was in good spirits after his team defeated RB Salzburg 5-1 in the Champions League. However, the Italian seemed irritated when he arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu press room.
The Whites were in good form, putting in one of their best attacking performances of the season, with a brilliant assist from Jude Bellingham, braces from Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes, and a high-pressing goal from Kylian Mbappé. However, Ancelotti was irritated with neither UEFA nor his counterpart Thomas Letsch.
“It seems like I’m a little angry… and it’s true. I’m angry. The match ended at 11:45 p.m. [in reality closer to 23:00] and waiting an hour for a press conference is disrespectful to me and to you [the press]“said the Italian coach, visibly upset.
Generally, the visiting teams give their statements to the press first, followed by the home teams. Including extra time, most matches in Spain don’t finish much before 11pm, which can be especially tiring for fans trying to get home on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
Elsewhere in Europe, Paris Saint-Germain staged a stunning comeback to beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 4-2 at the Parc des Princes. It leaves City one place and two points away from qualifying for the play-off round, and Ancelotti admitted he would be happy to see them out of the competition.
“Yes, it would be good for Manchester City to be eliminated because they are one of the candidates to win the Champions League again,” he told Marca.
City play at home against Club Brugge in the final match of the league stage, but know that a victory over the Belgian team will guarantee them a place in the round of 16. However, if Real Madrid win their final match against Brest, there is a chance that both teams will meet in the play-off round for the fourth consecutive season.