Carlo Ancelotti raging on De Bruyne’s Champions League goal against Real Madrid
De Bruyne's strike cancelled out Vinicius Jr's opener for Real Madrid to make the first leg of their Champions League semi-final a draw.
Follow Us
Carlo Ancelotti (The Times)
As Manchester City players were celebrating, there was a disturbance on the touchline as Ancelotti and the Madrid staff forcefully protested against the officials. Carlo Ancelotti received a yellow card and it was not clear why he was so angry that time.
After the game The Madrid Boss said “The ball was off the pitch. Technology said it and I don’t understand why VAR didn’t check it. The referee didn’t pay attention to many things tonight.” Replays and images, released by broadcaster showed why Ancelotti was so furious with the decision.
Bernardo Silva controlled the ball right in front of the Italian at the side of the Bernabeu pitch. It was a tight call and neither the referee nor the assistant referee spotted it and played on. Play carried on and City lost the ball before Eduardo Camavinga gave away possession in the next phase of play to allow De Bruyne to score.
This meant that VAR could not intervene because it was considered as City’s attacking phase once Camavinga lost the ball. Despite his anger, Ancelotti was happy enough with his side’s performance and the state of the tie.
related: WATCH: “Best winger in the world”- Fans pedestalize Vinicius Jr over his beautiful outside-the-box goal v Manchester City in UCL semifinal
Real Madrid 1-1 Manchester City (Player Ratings) 2023 UEFA Champions League Semi-Final First Leg
Manchester City:
Ederson (7): It felt like Ederson could have maybe done better with the goal, although he was down well to stop a Benzema header and then stop a late rocket.
Walker (7): Jumped in rashly a few times on his winger and often his release ball would see the team lose possession, but some crucial late blocks.
Stones (7): Aggressive when moving up to play alongside Rodri before stepping back when the pressure forced it.
Dias (7): Not always comfortable in possession but some important blocks in the box to keep Real at bay.
Akanji (7): Worked really well with Rodri and Gundogan to see City move the ball up the pitch.
Rodri (8): Drove the team on and it was him winning the ball back that set up the equaliser.
Gundogan (7): Calm under pressure to help the defence out, while also supplying Haaland at the other end.
De Bruyne (7): Struggled to get in the game for large parts yet came up with the goods when it mattered.
Bernardo (6): Gave Camavinga problems and kept him alert all night, although was skinned for the goal.
Grealish (7): Did well to keep his temper in the battle with Carvajal and reliably kept the ball when needed.
Haaland (6): Barely had sight of the goal but on the two instances he did he was easily stopped.
Credit: Manchester Evening News
Real Madrid:
Thibaut Courtois (8.5): Multiple big saves including a denial on a Kevin De Bruyne opportunity from inside the six-yard box. Was a constant outlet for the team to provide numerical superiority when playing out of the back or looking to break the City Press.
Dani Carvajal (8): Warrior display from Dani Carvajal who continues to produce in the big games. Battled all night long with Jack Grealish and looked to take advantage of any space in behind the winger.
Antonio Rudiger (9): It had to be a big night for Rudiger in place of Militao, up against the mighty Haaland, and the German exceeded expectations. Rudiger was all over Haaland from minute 1 to 90, never letting the Norwegian out of his sight. Imposed himself physically and never lost concentration.
David Alaba (8.5): Produced a great last-ditch tackle to deny Haaland a shot on goal. Like the whole of the backline, defended with great concentration for 90 minutes. Succesful in breaking through City’s press with combinations between himself, Camavinga, Kroos, Modric, and Vinicius down the left.
Eduardo Camavinga (9): Another fantastic performance from Eduardo Camavinga on the biggest of the stages. The duel between him and Bernardo was one of the defining battles of the game, with the 20-year-old often coming out on top. His “cobra-tackles”, quick touches, and movement off the ball were a constant headache for Pep’s City. Finished the game with 5 completed tackles and 3 key passes — producing on both ends.
Toni Kroos (8): Many were worried about a formation leaving Toni Kroos as the lone pivot, but he was able to perform admirably. Strong in the tackle and on multiple occasions doubled down on the likes of Haaland, KdB, or Bernardo to help the team win the ball back. Pivotal in building out and often filtered out to the left back position to get on the ball and face forward with a full vision of the entire field.
Fede Valverde (7): Won all of his ground duels, and all of his aerial duels — including two against Akanji, and completed one dribble where he nutmegged Akanji and failed to find Benzema on the final pass. Would like to have seen him arrive in the City box on more occasions, but otherwise was solid and composed, and clean in midfield.
Luka Modric (6.5): Had to put in a major shift defensively tracking runners and trying to cut off passing lanes. He and Benzema struggled to communicate and cover the movement of Stones and Rodrygo but improved in the second half.
Rodrygo (7.5): Never frazzled under the City press or even some of the more physically daunting players on the City team. His smooth dribbling and high footballing IQ meant he was able to be a positive force every time he got on the ball. Nearly unlocked the City defense early with a ball in behind to Benzema.
Vinicius Junior (9): Absolutely sensational goal is worthy of the superstar that Vinicius Junior has become. There were fun duels all over the pitch and the Walker vs Vinicius battle was no different. The Brazilian tweaked his game to drag Walker out of shape and take quick sharp touches to beat the fullback.
Karim Benzema (5): Got on the end of a Luka Modric free kick late in the game, but Ederson came up with a huge save. Will feel slightly starved of service in this one, but still had moments where he may have wished to have done better inside the box. Struggled with tracking the movement of Stones and Rodrigo when City had the ball.
Credit: Managing Madrid
In case you have missed:
Stay Updated!
Arpan Ghosh
(1403 Articles Published)