Carlo Ancelotti names only Real Madrid player who performed well in embarrassing 4-2 loss to Girona
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said that Vinicius Junior was the only player from his team to turn in a good performance against Girona on Tuesday (April 25).
Los Blancos stumbled to a shock 4-2 defeat at the Estadi Montilivi, courtesy of Valentin Castellanos' incredible four-goal display. With the loss, Madrid's hopes of retaining the La Liga title are almost over, as arch-rivals Barcelona now lead them by 11 points with a game in hand.
While Real Madrid put in a poor defensive performance, they went into half-time 2-1 down, courtesy of Vinicus' 34th-minute strike. However, they conceded twice in 17 minutes after the break before the Brazilian assisted Lucas Vazquez with five minutes left.
Following the defeat, Ancelotti lambasted his team while praising Vinicius for his display. The Italian said (as quoted by @theMadridZone on Twitter):
“Vinicius was good; he got a goal & assist, but the whole team? No.”
🗣️ Carlo Ancelotti: “Vinicius was good, be got a goal & assist, but the whole team? No.” #rmalive
He added:
“We were not forceful; we have left too much space.”
🗣️ Carlo Ancelotti: “We were not forceful, we have left too much space.” #rmalive
Ancelotti notably chose to play a slightly rotated team for the league game at Girona.
Karim Benzema and Thibaut Courtois, who started in the 2-0 win against Celta Vigo over the weekend, missed out due to injury and stomach flu respectively. Andriy Lunin started in goal, while Rodrygo Goes was the focal point in attack.
Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni dropped to the bench while Dani Ceballos was suspended. The duo were replaced by Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, respectively. Dani Carvajal also returned to the lineup, with Nacho Fernandez moving to left-back and Eduardo Camavinga settling for a spot on the bench.
Real Madrid were without David Alaba, Ferland Mendy and Eden Hazard due to injury.
Vinicius Junior's individual brilliance for Real Madrid against Girona went beyond his goal contributions
Even without bringing his goal and assist into the equation, Vinicius put in a fabulous performance against Girona on Tuesday. The Brazilian was at the heart of most of Real Madrid's forays forward and constantly terrorised the home rearguard.
Vinicius attempted 20 dribbles, eight of which were successful. That was comfortably the most across both teams, with Girona's Yan Couto and Los Blancos' Fede Valverde coming in second with two dribbles apiece.
The winger also contested 29 ground duels and won 11 and also won three fouls. He laid out three key passes, created one big chance and completed 75% of his passes, including all three long-ball attempts.
Vinicius has 22 goals and 19 assists across competitions this season, proving his indispensability to the team.