Ancelotti Went After Mbappé Following the Fight with Llorente That Cost Him the Yellow Card

Real Madrid Took the Victory at Riyadh Air Metropolitano after a match that extended into extra time and penalties. Carlo Ancelotti's players, who clearly went from less to more throughout the match, eliminated Atlético de Madrid after a shootout that is not without controversy. Julián Álvarez's shot, despite all the published images, remains a subject of debate.

But the leader of the white coaching staff focused on one of Real Madrid's players after that shot by the Argentine forward. The last Madrid player to take responsibility in the penalty shootout was Antonio Rüdiger, who decided the fate of both teams in the current European campaign with his goal.

Before the German '22' could prepare to face Jan Oblak alone, one of Atlético de Madrid's players approached the Berlin defender. Marcos Llorente appeared to try to distract and annoy the veteran Real Madrid player, who had unexpected help to prevent any attempt to break his concentration: Kylian Mbappé.

The Madrid '9' didn't hesitate to confront Atlético de Madrid's '14', who had previously hit his penalty against the crossbar, to defend Antonio Rüdiger. That act of camaraderie yielded two clear results: the first was the yellow card that Szymon Marciniak showed him for being out of his place and confronting the Atlético player.

Important Comment

The second consequence of that play was Antonio Rüdiger's goal and the passage to the Champions League quarter-finals. Shortly after the effusive celebration on the Riyadh Air Metropolitano field, Carlo Ancelotti wanted to talk to the Bondy striker about what happened minutes before.

The Reggiolo coach expressed his dissatisfaction with that unnecessary and dangerous booking for Kylian Mbappé. The duration of the bookings extends to the quarter-finals, a round that 'cleans' all cards to avoid the risk of missing the final due to suspension cycles. Although the Madrid '9' skirts that suspension, he received a compliment from the Italian strategist.

Carlo Ancelotti understands that Kylian Mbappé had a gesture that marks him as "a great teammate". The French striker's attitude during the penalty shootout, always alert to the Madrid players and constantly encouraging them, is very much appreciated by the Madrid coaching staff. Especially because his match was not the best he has had since wearing the Madrid jersey.

The discreet performance that Kylian Mbappé delivered over 120 minutes was slightly 'compensated' by the responsibility of being the first to take the penalty kick in the decisive shootout... and scoring it to put the white club ahead. His attitude has improved radically in recent months, leaving behind the apathetic and disconnected Mbappé that appeared in the worst months of the season.