Real Madrid lost for the second time in 2024, bringing an end to their remarkable winning streak.
The team and their fans are inconsolable following a close 1-0 loss to Lille in the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, stated bluntly that criticism of the team’s performance was warranted, saying, “Critics of us for today’s game is fair and correct.” We must acknowledge that we didn’t play well.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid stated that his team’s criticism was warranted after their lengthy winning streak ended on Wednesday in the Champions League with a 1-0 loss to Lille in France. “I have the utmost integrity. We must recognize that there has been reasonable and accurate criticism of us for the game today. After Lille earned the victory thanks to a penalty kick from Jonathan David just before halftime, Ancelotti commented, “We did not play well in this game.”
It was Real Madrid’s first Champions League loss since falling to Manchester City in the semi-finals in May 2023, and their first loss in 37 games across all competitions since January.
Fortunately, this hasn’t happened to us too much lately. Ancelotti continued, “Our opponents deserved to win because they played better than us. Their club defeated Borussia Dortmund in the championship game last season.
“In the end, we had opportunities, but a draw wouldn’t have been fair to us. This must teach us something. We still have some things to work on.
Ancelotti dismissed worries about the possible fallout from the Champions League loss under the new configuration, which places 36 teams in a single group.
“I believe that the team’s overall vibe is what’s causing the sadness. Since this is sports, you may lose games, but the feelings we conveyed weren’t positive,” the Italian added.
Madrid lost their first two games, joining the likes of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid in that regard. However, they had defeated VfB Stuttgart 3-1 in their opening game two weeks prior.
Following each team’s eight games played, the top eight teams in the rankings will go straight to the round of 16.
The teams who place ninth through twenty-fourth in the standings will play off to determine who gets the final sixteen spots.
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Bellingham’s Struggles
In three weeks, Real Madrid will host Dortmund in a rematch of the championship game from the previous year. They then play Atalanta, AC Milan, and Liverpool.
Jude Bellingham will play his old team in that Dortmund match, and he will be looking to bounce back after a frequently subpar start to the season.
“He is playing in the same position as last season without the success he had last season,” Ancelotti remarked of the second-half booking of the Ballon d’Or contender.
“The night wasn’t great, that’s all. Don’t try to find an explanation. All we have to do is get better.”
Bruno Genesio, the coach of Lille, on the other hand, expressed his happiness at having managed one of the team’s best performances in European play.
The noteworthy triumph for Genesio comes after his triumph over Manchester City under Pep Guardiola in his first season as Lyon’s manager in 2018.
“It is a really great performance from everybody and a beautiful reward for the club and our supporters,” Genesio remarked.
“This demonstrates our abilities, but we must now expand on it.
He continued, “It shows that over 90 minutes we can cause problems for the best teams in Europe,” keeping in mind that Lille’s remaining competition matches will be played at home against Juventus and away against Atletico.