Carlo Ancelotti harshly criticized De Burgos Bengoetxea's refereeing on Real Madrid TV: "If I say what I think, I lose several games and what I like most is sitting on the Madrid bench, so to avoid suspensions I don't say what I think. That's why sometimes you have to use irony," he said in reference to the praise he gave to the referee at the Pizjuán press conference.
At first Ancelotti commented that the "referee did well, a good game. He stopped the counterattack to preserve the health of a player and I think he played a high-quality game," he said. When he was told that his players had become very angry with the referee, he replied: "I haven't spoken to the players, I'm very happy."
The Madrid coach was happy with the draw: "I liked the match 100%. It was competitive, with many duels and I think he got them right in all of them. It's not ironic, I'm very serious. At the end of the match I asked him to the referee why he cautioned me. I wasn't talking to him, I was talking to Camavinga," he said.
Regarding the final tangana and the substitution of Vinícius, the Italian coach commented that "Vinícius has tried many times and has encountered Navas, who has defended very well. It has been difficult for him to dribble but I think he has played his game "I tried to take minutes away from the players who arrived on Thursday. There was a fight where Vinícius was not alone: there were 15 players and I think the referee did a good job separating the two teams."
Ancelotti appreciated the point: "In the second half everything was equal because we lowered the intensity. The result is not bad, but obviously we always want to win. Although a point on a field and against such a difficult opponent is good. We continue."
The coach said he was happy with Rodrygo's game: "For me today Rodrygo was one of the best, if not the best. He had movements, he tried everything. For me, Rodrygo's game was good and if he didn't score, he wouldn't. nothing happens".
Kepa pointed out that "we controlled the first half better. In the second half we played what they wanted and the game got a little out of control. It's a shame not to have won but we have to make good of this point in the next game."
