Carlo Ancelotti believes Real Madrid have the firepower to overcome their 1-0 Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg loss to a Barcelona side he claims did not want to play.
Barcelona grab a smash-and-grab victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday to take a slim lead into the return game at Camp Nou next month.
In the 26th minute, Franck Kessie’s shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois before it deflected off Eder Militao and went in for the game-winning goal.
Apart from that, Barca had just 35.3% of the ball in the match, the lowest percentage since Opta records began (2013–14 season), and Madrid was largely in control.
Similarly, it was only the third time since the start of last year that Barca have recorded less than 50 per cent possession in a match.
Ancelotti was unimpressed by Barcelona’s performance and is still confident that Madrid will advance to the final, despite the fact that Los Blancos failed to get a single shot on target for only the third time in a decade.
“The team played well,” he told reporters. “Barcelona played like they didn’t want to play.
“We haven’t been good in the last third. Defeat hurts, but if we do the same in the second leg, we have a chance to progress.
“We played the game we have to play: pressing, playing with intensity. We lacked a goal, but they did nothing to score. They were lucky with a rebound. We have 90 minutes [to turn it around].”
He added: “We’ve failed, but we did not deserve to lose. But in 90 minutes we can score a goal in Barcelona.”
Despite his obvious frustration, Ancelotti was clearly impressed with how Madrid managed to dominate the majority of the game, forcing Barcelona to play mostly on the edge of their own box.
“It’s a very bad result, undeserved, but it was a game well done on our part, with intensity and commitment.
“We didn’t let Barca play the way they want. They had a very low block, not because they wanted to, but because we made them do it.
“It was difficult to have opportunities, we tried from outside the box, but they have great defenders and they gave us problems in the crosses.
“It was difficult to find spaces. They were very closed off. I have nothing to reproach. I am very happy and I am very excited to do the same in the second leg.
“They have an advantage, but we have all the confidence in the world to be able [to turn it around].”
The second leg is at Camp Nou on April 5.
