Ancelotti Reveals Why He Substituted Camavinga Before Brahim: 'the Change Wasn't...'

Real Madrid defeated Atlético (2-1) in a match filled with great goals, with both teams saving the best for the return leg. Rodrygo Goes and Brahim Díaz, the scorers of the two goals, give the Madrid team an advantage for next Wednesday's clash at the Metropolitano.

In front of the Movistar+ microphone, Carlo Ancelotti expressed his satisfaction with the result, although he acknowledged that everything is yet to be decided in the return match. He is aware of the difficulty the match at the Metropolitano will represent, but he has full confidence that his team can face the challenge.

Carlo Ancelotti's Analysis of the Madrid Derby

"Difficult, as usual, against Atlético it's always normal. We started well, then Julián scored a great goal, in the second half we were better. We worked well, the goal was to take a small advantage and we achieved it", he explained.

"The initial plan was to play on the outside with Vini and Rodrygo to take on. It worked well in the first play and then we lost patience. We forced the game when we had to do it the same way and keep the opponent in their field", he commented regarding the tactical approach.

"The team worked, defended well, Atlético had control at some moments but without creating many opportunities. The team was compact almost the entire match", stated a quite happy Carlo Ancelotti with his team's effort.

"I take the match, it was a difficult match, imagine what Wednesday could be... I think we achieved the small advantage and we are eager to advance in the knockout round", he added.

"The match is even and the quality of both teams is very high. It's a round of 16, but it could be a semifinal or a final. We are not happy to play this knockout round against Atlético and I think they aren't either to play a quarterfinal with Madrid", said Carlo Ancelotti.

What Happened in Eduardo Camavinga's Substitution?

Additionally, Carlo Ancelotti addressed a question that arose during the substitution of Eduardo Camavinga for Luka Modric. Some thought it was Brahim Díaz who had to come off, but the chosen one was the French midfielder.

"It was Camavinga. We waited a bit but the substitute was Camavinga. It was him we had to substitute because he had back pain", he concluded.