Ancelotti regrets not beating Chelsea harder

"Real struggled in the first few minutes, but the goal was to score first and that's what we did," Ancelotti said after the win at the Bernabeu. "We have to suffer because Chelsea are a strong club with very good players, and we have at least 90 minutes left to suffer."

The Italian coach admitted Real should have put more pressure to score more goals when being kicked more than people. "When Chelsea had enough men, we fought a lot. Therefore, I think the players lacked energy and clarity," Ancelotti analyzed. "But we are satisfied with the result and performance today."

Sharing his opinion with Ancelotti, Vinicius - voted player of the match - said: "We have a lot of space and want to score more goals because we know how difficult away games can be. But Chelsea is the opponent. The team is very strong. Now the team will rest and stay calm before the second leg."

At the Bernabeu yesterday, Chelsea entered the game better and dominated in the first 10 minutes. The visitors created a chance at the first ball in the 2nd minute, when N'golo Kante poked a slot to let Joao Felix penetrate the penalty area in an unaccompanied position. But the Portuguese striker wasn't fast enough to get ahead of Eder Militao, then hit a slight angle and couldn't beat Thibaut Courtois.

After that, Real gradually regained the game and took the lead in the 21st minute. Dani Carvajal clicked the ball into the penalty area to let Vinicius kick in and failed to win against Kepa Arrizabalaga, but Karim Benzema kicked into the empty net.

In a similar situation in the 59th minute, Federico Valverde clicked the ball to let Rodrygo escape to face Kepa. Ben Chilwell was forced to pull Rodrygo down on the edge of the penalty area and received a direct red card. Taking advantage of the numbers, the home team scored more thanks to Marco Asensio's left foot outside the penalty area.

After the game, Vinicius said it was Real's best performance since the start of the season, but Ancelotti disagreed. According to the 63-year-old coach, Real did not play well at the end of the first half and there were many situations of lack of sharp coordination before the Chelsea box.

Ancelotti warned Real to stay calm and focus for the second leg at Stamford Bridge on April 18. The Italian coach said that Chelsea will attack with full force in front of the home audience, and want the students to show a performance as the first leg towards the ambition to defend the throne. "Anything can happen in football," he said.

Before the rematch in London, Ancelotti's teachers and students will be Cadiz's guests in round 29 of La Liga on April 15.