Carlo Ancelotti Criticizes Real Madrid's Shocking Loss to Lille

Real Madrid's 36-game unbeaten came to an end against Lille after a poor performance from the defending UCL champions.

Real Madrid suffered its first defeat of its European title defense. / IMAGO/Juan Perez/PRESSINPHOTO

Lille handed Real Madrid its first defeat in 258 days and Carlo Ancelotti had plenty to say after his team's poor performance.

Real Madrid got nothing going against Lille in its second Champions League fixture of the season. Los Blancos were held scoreless in the UCL for the first time since May 17, 2023, when Manchester City fired four past the Spanish giants. Tonight, Ancelotti's men only managed two shots on target in the first half and four in the second.

After the 1–0 defeat, Ancelotti shared his thoughts with the media. "Lille were better and deserved to win," the manager said.

"We were bad and slow tonight," he continued. "We didn't create. The possession was slow, no ideas. We were bad under every aspect."

Even when Kylian Mbappé came onto the pitch in the 57th minute, Real Madrid could not muster any creativity or chances on goal that could beat Lucas Chevalier. Jonathan David's conversion from the penalty spot just before halftime was enough to secure all three points for Lille.

Real Madrid's next three Champions League fixtures are against Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Liverpool. If the defending European champions play how they did against Lille in any of those three upcoming fixtures, then Ancelotti's squad could easily drop more points in the league phase.

Los Blancos return to La Liga action this weekend against Villarreal on Saturday, Oct. 5.

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