‘Then I saw his face' – Carlo Ancelotti admits he ‘wanted' another Real Madrid star to take final penalty
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has provided an insight into the process which ultimately culminated in Antonio Rüdiger being tasked with taking his side's final penalty in last night's Madrid Derby shootout.
Real, of course, are fresh off booking their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
After making the trip to the Metropolitano for the 2nd leg of their Last-16 tie with Atlético, Los Blancos were condemned to a 1-0 defeat.
After last week's 2-1 victory in the first leg, Real, in turn, were forced to navigate extra-time, and an ensuing penalty shootout.
And when all was said and done, it was Los Merengues who held their nerve, notching four spot-kicks to the hosts' two.
The decisive strike came on the part of Antonio Rüdiger, whose right-footed effort just about made its way beyond the sprawling Jan Oblak.
Had things played out just a little differently, however, then it could have been another, altogether more inexperienced player who was tasked with the decisive penalty.
Speaking to the media on the back of his side's victory on Wednesday night, Carlo Ancelotti admitted:
'On the final penalty we had a doubt, who should have taken the penalty between Rüdiger or Endrick. We wanted Endrick… But then I saw his face and I decided Rüdiger was the better option (laughs).'
😅⚪️ Ancelotti reveals: 'On the final penalty we had a doubt, who should have taken the penalty between Rüdiger or Endrick'.'We wanted Endrick… But then I saw his face and I decided Rüdiger was the better option (laughs)'. pic.twitter.com/pSNa5p9A9s
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 13, 2025
Conor Laird – GSFN
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