Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was disappointed with his players’ attitude, calling them “soft” for defending too deep in their 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final, first leg on Tuesday.

Ancelotti was critical of his team’s commitment after Vinicius Jr’s first-half goal gave them the lead as Bayern struck twice in four minutes early in the second half to turn the game around before Vinicius equalised from the penalty spot.

“The result is good but on a level of play we could have done better. Bayern showed their best version and we didn’t. We have to improve for next week,” an introspective Ancelotti told Movistar Plus+.

“In the first half we defended but with little intensity, in the second half when they took the lead we started to press a bit more, but not enough.

“The feeling was that we were comfortable, but we lacked intensity. We gave them too many chances to take control of the game. We didn’t want to play in a low block and we went on doing that. We were soft.”

Ancelotti defended his decision to substitute midfielder Toni Kroos, who set up Vinicius’ opener with a brilliant pass and was arguably Real’s best player.

The Italian said that he made four substitutions in an effort to shake his team up and was relieved that they ended up scoring the equaliser that he believes “left the tie open” for the return leg in Madrid next week.

“Jude Bellingham had a cramp, Toni Kroos played a spectacular game but the plan was to try to recover the control of the game by putting fresh legs in,” Ancelotti told a press conference.

“As always, at this point in the season we have a great opportunity to play in another final. It’s an even tie against a great team. It will be another 90 minutes of suffering but in an atmosphere that we know quite well. The fans are going to help us.”

-Reuters

Bayern Munich were victims of Real Madrid’s lethal efficiency in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw but the Germans are ready to beat them in next week’s Champions League semi-final return leg in Madrid, coach Thomas Tuchel said.

The Bavarians struck twice in four minutes early in the second half with a shot from Leroy Sane and a Harry Kane penalty to turn the game around after Vinicius Jr had put the visitors ahead in the 24th against the run of play.

The Brazilian striker also bagged an equaliser with an 83rd minute spot kick as Bayern were pushing for a third goal.

“The result is what it is and it’s not worth spending any time thinking about it,” Tuchel, who will leave Bayern at the end of the season after a disappointing domestic campaign, told a press conference.

“Real have done it before, to score twice with two chances. We are not the first team to suffer that. They have the finish, they have the quality to do that.

“We had a strong start then we lost a bit our rhythm. We should have scored a third but we were not efficient enough, not cold enough to add a third. Then we gifted them a penalty.”

Bayern enjoyed a strong start and also had chances to score again after going 2-1 up. They will now need to win against Real, who are chasing a 15th European Cup, in Madrid next Wednesday if they are to advance to the final at Wembley.

Borussia Dortmund and Paris St Germain face each other in the other semi-final on Wednesday.

“The situation is now very clear,” Tuchel added. “We go to Madrid and the winner takes it all. We are ready to fight. It is important to believe that.

“It is still possible. It is 50-50. It is one of the toughest places to win but that is also what makes this challenge exciting.”

-Reuters

Arsenal’s players have been stung by their Champions League quarter-finals exit on Wednesday but manager Mikel Arteta said they still have something “beautiful” to play for in the last few weeks of the season as they chase the Premier League title.

Arsenal campaign in Europe’s elite club competition came to an end with a 1-0 defeat by Bayern Munich and follows their elimination from both domestic cup tournaments.

The north London club are still in the hunt for the league title, however, sitting second on 71 points, level with Liverpool and two behind leaders Manchester City.

With City in action in the FA Cup this weekend, Arsenal can return to the top of the table with a win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

“What (the players) need is that we stand right next to them, give them our support, our love, and I will have to pick it up because on Saturday we have a big, big, big game,” Arteta told reporters on Wednesday

“We’re still playing for the Premier League and I really want it. We have to show now that we are capable of turning this around.

“(The pain) is there and it’s not going to go away, certainly tonight, but I can guarantee you by tomorrow we are fully focused on Wolves and everybody’s lifted.

“What we still have to play for is beautiful.”

This was Arsenal’s first season in the Champions League since 2017, and their first quarter-final since 2010, and Arteta said small margins separated the clubs at this stage of the competition.

“Those margins sometimes are coming from something else, that maybe we don’t have yet,” he added.

“We have to learn it, when you look historically, all the clubs to get to certain stages, it took them seven, eight, some of them 10 years to do it

-Reuters