Before Real Madrid came back from two goals down to defeat Villarreal 3-2 in the Copa del Rey, Carlo Ancelotti told his players to “wake up.”
After losing to rival Barcelona 3-1 in the Supercopa de Espana final on Sunday, Madrid appeared to be eliminated from the Copa del Rey on Thursday when they trailed 2-0 at the half.
Villarreal took the lead thanks to Etienne Capoue and Samuel Chukwueze, but Vinicius Junior cut the deficit in half, and Madrid tied the score when Eder Militao pushed the ball home after Filip Jorgensen could only deflect Karim Benzema’s header into the center-path. back’s
Dani Ceballos, who had only played three LaLiga games all season, seized the chance to lead Madrid into the quarterfinals with a spectacular turnaround.
“In the second period, it was an incredible reaction, as it always is. This club never gives up but we can’t wait until near the end of the game to react.
“The team showed great personality to turn things around. The second half is fantastic for our confidence. We didn’t give up.”
Ceballos was Madrid’s unlikely hero as he popped up to fire in from Marco Asensio’s perfectly weighted pass.
Ancelotti felt that combination was one of the keys to victory, saying: “Ceballos and Asensio have changed the dynamics of the match because they put in more quality and energy, they were decisive in turning the result around.”
Vinicius and Pepe Reina, the replacement goalkeeper for Villarreal, got into a fight during the second half. Ancelotti and Los Blancos winger Rodrygo also got into a fight.
After being replaced by Asensio in the 56th minute, Rodrygo looked to reject Ancelotti’s offer of a handshake, but the Madrid head coach was unconcerned by the incident.
“He [Rodrygo] had a slight muscle strain and I decided not to risk him,” Ancelotti explained. “He didn’t acknowledge me because I think he forgot, I don’t think it’s a big deal.
“[The Reina and Vinicius altercation] was nothing. He was a bit wound up with Vinicius, that’s all. I have a good relationship with him. What I saw, was that Vinicius got kicked a lot, like he does every game.”