Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that Celtic made the reigning UEFA Champions League champions suffer at Celtic Park despite a 3-0 win for Los Blancos.
Speaking to Eurosport after Madrid’s result against the Scottish champions, the Italian coach revealed that his side struggled against Celtic’s intensity, with Ange Postecoglou’s men taking the game to the Spanish giants and playing without fear, with the 3-0 result not a fair reflection of the match.
Hoops captain Callum McGregor hit the post with a wild shot in the opening half before Daizen Maeda missed a golden chance just after the restart to put Celtic 1-0 up, with Madrid eventually finding a way into the game in a manner only the 14-time Champions League champions could do.
Indeed, Celtic gave a great account of themselves in their comeback fixture in Europe’s elite club competition, and in the words of Madrid manager Ancelotti himself, the visiting side were made to suffer at Celtic Park, with the atmosphere one of the best seen in the Champions League for some time.
The Italian manager said when asked about Madrid’s performance at Celtic Park: “We suffered in the first half and it’s absolutely normal to suffer here. It was like two games, first half we suffered a bit with intensity, second half we had control.
Ancelotti added about Madrid’s 3-0 win: “We were not surprised [with Celtic’s start]. We knew they could start really fast. We were lucky because they hit the post. The second half was much better. When we opened to scoring it was easier for us to control the ball.”
Celtic will feel about 2nd-place finish after Real Madrid performance
Celtic were unlucky to lose by three goals against Madrid, yet their performance in Glasgow on the night will be one that will instil confidence into the squad for the remainder of the campaign, and the Hoops could now well find themselves in a good position to progress though the group in second-place.
Whilst Shakhtar Donetsk won 4-1 against RB Leipzig in the other fixture, Celtic will be full of confidence heading into their next European games, and Postecoglou’s quality as a coach and a leader could push the Scottish giants to an incredible run on the continent.
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