Real Madrid demolished English Premier League’s Liverpool in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 a fortnight ago, but Los Blancos’ form took an unpleasant turn since that 5-2 victory over Kop, having drawn twice in Spanish La Liga and losing to arch-rival Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Semifinal. While the 1-0 deficit in the Spanish Cup is highly possible to be overcome, Carlo Ancelotti’s side’s second consecutive draw in the league meant it is now trailing nine points behind leader Barca, with hopes of retaining their title slipping further and further after 24 games played.
One Goal in the Last Three Games
A 1-1 draw against Atlético Madrid in the El Derbi Madrileño kickstarted a poor form for Real Madrid, and the team in white had yet to score a goal to date since the 85th-minute equaliser by 18-year-old forward Álvaro. In the match versus Real Betis at Benito Villamarín, Carlo Ancelotti altered his squad that was defeated by the Catalan Giants in the Copa del Rey with three changes, bringing on the likes of Rodrygo, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Lucas Vázquez, while five members from that Real Betis squad that beat Elche eight days earlier in the league were replaced.
Los Blancos had 15 shots throughout the 90 minutes plus added time, with five of them hitting the target. The team in white almost went ahead in the 12th minute, when captain Karim Benzema’s freekick set-piece was deflected into the back of the Betis goal, only for video assistant referee (VAR) to rule it handball by his Madrid teammate. Betis was not going to give Real Madrid any easy time in this match and had a few chances to draw first blood itself, including a 46th-minute strike by Aitor Ruibal and a close-ranged effort by Borja Iglesias seven minutes later. These two shots were bravely saved by Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Ancelotti’s men continued to push for a winning goal after the half-hour mark, but Rodrygo’s strike around the spot kick area was skied over the crossbar in the 61st minute. Then, 15 minutes before added time was awarded, substitute Dani Ceballos’ shot just inside the penalty box failed to hit the target, while Vinícius Júnior’s effort two minutes later also went fruitless. The game ended with Carlo Ancelotti’s side failing to score any goals in a match for the second time in a row and frustrating with the goalless draw.
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Carlo Ancelotti: “It Is Not Impossible.”
Despite not winning any of the last three games and scoring only once in all competitions, Carlo Ancelotti believed that his Real Madrid side still stand a chance of defending the Spanish La Liga title it won last year. In the post-match interview, the 63-year-old Italian insisted that Los Blancos can still pose pressures and challenges to league leader Barcelona, which is now enjoying a nine-point lead at the top spot of the league. He said, “It’s not impossible. It will be very difficult, very complicated, but we have no doubt we’ll fight until the end. Of course these results are affecting the team. If it doesn’t then you have no room to improve.”
Speaking of the match against Real Betis, Ancelotti admitted that his side wasted many valuable chances against the home team, adding that “It was a difficult match for us. We know we could have done better in terms of efficiency in attack. We had opportunities but lacked efficiency. This is the reality. We’ve scored only one goal in our past three games, and it’s clear to see what we’re missing from set-pieces. We have the quality to be doing better. We know we have to improve in that regard. We know in moments like this we have to do better”.
Real Madrid will now turn its attention to a home match against Espanyol in La Liga next weekend, before they set up a heavyweight clash with Liverpool for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. As for Real Betis, they will be heading to Old Trafford, England to meet Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United for the first-legged match of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16.
