Transcript: Carlo Ancelotti’s Post-match Press Conference Following Real Madrid’s La Liga Defeat Against Espanyol
Real Madrid suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat against Espanyol in their La Liga showdown on Saturday, February 1. The game was all square for the majority of the match.
Carlos Romero struck a late goal for Espanyol, finding the back of the net in the 85th minute. Los Blancos remain atop the La Liga table despite the defeat. They have 49 points from 22 matches, leading Atletico Madrid by a point.
🏁 @RCDEspanyol_EN 1-0 @RealMadridEn
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 1, 2025
⚽ 85' Carlos Romero.
👉 @Emirates pic.twitter.com/z116UvZ1g4
Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media following the game. Read on to know what he said (via Real Madrid).
Q: On Romero not getting a red card for his high challenge on Kylian Mbappe
Ancelotti: The decision made by the referee and the VAR is inexplicable. The most important thing is to protect the player and it was a clear foul, a really nasty tackle with a risk of injury. Fortunately, nothing happened, but there was a risk. The VAR is also there for this. We think the decision not to show a red card is inexplicable.
Q: Thoughts on the game
Ancelotti: It was a difficult, tough game. We did some things well, we had good control, especially in the second half. We had a goal disallowed, hit the post, and had 20 shots on goal. The game was under control, but Espanyol, who played very well on the counterattack, caught us off guard and scored. They had the game they wanted.
Q: On what the referee said about Vinicius Jr's disallowed goal
Ancelotti: He saw a foul by Mbappe.
Q: On La Liga's refereeing standards
Ancelotti: I don't want to talk about this issue. I'm only talking about what happened today in the match and, I repeat, we find the decision they took to be inexplicable when everyone could see it.
Q: Thoughts on the defeat
Ancelotti: Espanyol played really well. They defended very well, it was what they had to do. We could've done better, but it wasn't as bad as the result reflects. We had chances. We're still in the fight and we have to look to the next game.
Q: On Antonio Rudiger's injury
Ancelotti: He's had a muscle injury, they'll have to assess it. We know what we have to do, we've thought about it and we've talked about it.
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Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.