Carlo Ancelotti admitted Jude Bellingham was “not at his best” for Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich but backed him to perform well in the second game at the Bernabeu next week .
Ancelotti revealed that Bellingham felt cramps and fatigue during the game, which is a problem that has often troubled him in the past and was the reason why he was substituted after 75 minutes.
“Bellingham is just tired,” Ancelotti said. “He can’t go on anymore. I have enough good players on the bench. He will get back to his best. I think he was injured and that affected him but today he was not at his best. He is definitely He will be back and he will be 100% again on Wednesday.
Perhaps it’s fair to say that Ancelotti was pleased with the result but not necessarily the performance. His Madrid side were overwhelmed in the opening minutes but still took the lead at half-time, sealed with Vinicius Junior’s late penalty after Bayern’s early second-half confusion A slight draw.
“We had to defend in the first half but we didn’t have the intensity I wanted,” Ancelotti said. “For that reason you have to suffer in a place like this – everyone in the world knows that. I Think it’s a good result and gives us confidence and confidence that it’s still wide open for the second leg.
His counterpart Thomas Tuchel described the scoreline as 50-50 while lamenting his team’s lack of precision in front of goal.
“Results are results,” he said. “Real Madrid have done this before, scoring two goals in two chances in every half. We are not the first team that this has happened to. It is still a 50-50 game. Yes, the Bernabeu is the most difficult One of the places to win but I think we will be able to create chances.
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For Bayern midfielder Jamal Musiala, the draw was “a bit of a sore feeling” despite playing so well. “Real Madrid have the ability to create something when you think they are not going to create anything,” he said. “We will go to the Bernabeu again with our heads held high.”
