Real Madrid survived a late scare on Tuesday to defeat Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu. The reigning League champions had raced into a three-goal lead, but two late goals from the visitors made things very nervous – although it wasn't enough to force a draw.
Carlo Ancelotti gave his thoughts on his side's late collapse when he spoke in his post-match press conference, as per MD.
“It's football. One mistake is enough to give confidence to the rival team. That's what happens and what happens many times in football. We don't want it to happen, but it's possible. In the first 60 minutes, we played a lot well”.
Ancelotti was seen chatting rather furiously at referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz after the full-time whistle, after his side were shown six yellow cards during the 90 minutes. He gave his thoughts on the situation when asked by the media.
“The rules have changed and we have to get used to it. We have been given four or five yellow cards for protesting and we have to avoid it. We have to adapt.”
Kylian Mbappe asked to be substituted late on after suffering a knock to the thigh. Athletic's Mario Cortegana has said he will undergo tests in the next 24 hours, although Ancelotti is not concerned.
“He is good. He is a little sick. He asked for the substitution to avoid problems. He is already very well and so are we. The team looked for many opportunities to score and I think the team is improving and this is good for us because the schedule is very demanding. We started well after the break and we want to continue.”
Try Mbappé tomorrow or the day after due to some discomfort in his left thigh. @TheAthleticFC
— Mario Cortegana (@MarioCortegana) September 24, 2024
Real Madrid they still have three more games before the next international break, so there will be a desire to have Mbappe available for those next few games. Ancelotti will be careful to make sure he is fit, although that cannot be confirmed until the end of the week.
