Real Madrid beat Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu by 3 goals to 1, with two assists from Vinícius, one of the Whites' most outstanding footballers and the one who received the most praise from the Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti: “For me it means much more than a goal. I have told him that he has to be happy because he has shown great humility”. For Ancelotti, the next step for the Madrid player is to achieve continuity: “He has a very high level, now he has to have continuity. It's not easy because as he faces opponents a lot, he spends a lot of energy and sometimes needs a break in the game. To progress is what he lacks ”.
After the victory, the Italian praised his players: "I like coaching this team. It doesn't give me any problems. As a squad it's one of the best, if not the best I've had in my career", he assured.
Carlo Ancelotti has referred to the surprising approach of Sevilla, without a center forward and with a very crowded midfield, and has valued Jorge Sampaoli's proposal: “I was not surprised. We thought they would try to have control of the ball and when they tied the game they did it”. "We controlled the first half, but the second cost us more", he confessed, although the balance is positive: "It was a good game because we reacted in the second half".
In an eleven in which Karim Benzema was not included, who was left off the list at the last minute due to physical problems and who will not be available for the next Champions League match either, as confirmed by the Italian coach, Ancelotti highlighted the importance of the footballers who have entered as a shock: "Today I wanted to highlight those who have entered, Camavinga, Lucas Vázquez... because they have entered very well".
The Real Madrid coach has also had words of praise for Rodrygo, whom he has said "he moves very well". “He doesn't have a fixed position, almost like Karim. He combines very well and is a very important piece”, he has sentenced.
In the post-match press conference, in addition to confirming Benzema's withdrawal, Ancelotti referred to Fede Valverde's problems, who received a heavy blow from Papu Gómez on the thigh at the end of the match. "The thing with Fede Valverde was a blow to the leg, he bothers him a bit today. We have to see. I don't know if he will be able to recover for Tuesday's game", he has recognized before what could be a more than important loss . Valverde is, with today's goal, Real Madrid's leading scorer in the league, with six goals in his private account.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, has also valued "the important victory against a strong opponent" that the victory against Sevilla has meant, acknowledging the team's mistakes: "We had a good control of the first half, but we should have scored another goal to be calm. They tied us in an unlucky move, but we woke up and scored two great goals”. “We haven't started the second part as we should”, he acknowledged. “We lost easy balls and that gave them hope. With the changes we have taken another step, the goals have arrived and we have controlled the match”, he assessed.
The Belgian has also referred to the great goal scored by his teammate, Fede Valverde, who made it 3-1 with a cannon shot from outside the area: “In training I have suffered it many times. Last year we told him that he had to shoot more in games, because his shots go so hard and to the side that they are impossible to stop. I'm glad he's doing it."
Before the match against Sevilla, the Real Madrid goalkeeper received the Yashin trophy from another Madrid legend, Iker Casillas, in an act of homage that also recognized his teammate Karim Benzema, for the Ballon d'Or won on Monday in Paris: “I am proud to have won it. As a madridista it's a very nice moment to be here in the stadium, with the fans, together with Karim”.
