Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti spoke his mind after the hard-fought victory against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-final. Asked about David Alaba’s disappointing performance, the 65-year-old coach described it as a stroke of bad luck.
In a season marked by major setbacks and incredible turnarounds, Real Madrid is edging closer to its objectives. After winning the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, Carlo Ancelotti and his players will now aim to add the 2025 Copa del Rey to this season’s trophy cabinet. Following a highly eventful semi-final against Real Sociedad, the Madrid side managed to scrape through on Tuesday with a 5-4 victory after extra time. In a match where Endrick shone with a fine goal, David Alaba and the Madrid defence were a major disappointment.
In his post-match press conference after securing a spot in the final, Carlo Ancelotti refused to criticise David Alaba (rated 3 by Real Madrid’s editorial team). According to the 65-year-old coach, the Austrian defender, who scored two own goals, was simply unlucky.
Here is Carlo Ancelotti’s full press conference:
Your thoughts on the match?
“An entertaining game, with lots of goals, plenty of mistakes, and a lot of good things as well. Objective achieved. We are in the final once again, and we have to keep going because we don’t have time to dwell on things. In the end, we did what we had to do.”
It was your team’s 50th match of the season. How do you see them physically?
“I think we’re doing quite well. The substitutes contributed, and the starting players endured the effort, like Bellingham and Rodrygo… Physically, we finished well—better than Real Sociedad.”
Did you ever feel eliminated?
“Eliminated? Never. At the Bernabéu, anything can happen. When we need to come back, we never give up. It’s a heated atmosphere that helps us a lot. We never surrender, especially not here.”
Do you think Vinicius’ incident warranted a red card?
“For me, it was a red card, but it’s a decision for the referee to make. For him, it was a yellow, but for me, it was a red.”
Was the warning to Vinicius crucial?
“Yes. We saw the best version of Vinicius. He was decisive. Thanks to one of his actions, we got back to 2-3. He had a spectacular game.”
The defence made several mistakes…
“We were also a bit unlucky. Alaba had been playing well, but he scored two own goals. These things happen. We’re in the final, and that’s what matters most.”
Endrick’s performance?
“That’s exactly what we expect from him. He scored a fantastic goal. He doesn’t touch the ball often, but he is highly effective.”
What did you like the least?
“Conceding four goals is never good. We have a very efficient attacking team because scoring four goals against Real Sociedad is no easy task.”
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