Real Madrid star reacted furiously after getting substituted in goalless draw against Real Betis
Real Madrid stalwart Lucas Vazquez was furious after being substituted in the goalless La Liga draw against Real Betis on Sunday (March 5) at the Benito Villamarin.
Ahead of their matchday 24 clash, Madrid trailed leaders Barcelona by ten points and needed a positive result to keep themselves in the hunt for the title. Betis, though, refused to roll over and held the holders to a goalless stalemate. The result allowed the Blaugrana, who beat Valencia 1-0, to open up a nine-point lead at the top.
Vazquez, who started for the first time since January 11, was one of Madrid’s more impressive players at Betis. He completed two dribbles, created a chance, completed 48 passes (81% accuracy) and won all four of his tackles. Despite his decent performance, Carlo Ancelotti decided took him off in the 59th minute, bringing on Daniel Carvajal.
As noted by Football Espana, the Spaniard looked visibly unhappy with the substitution.
He first booted the bench (sitting area) before throwing away the jacket given to him. However, it's believed that the frustration Vazquez showed might not be directed at Ancelotti but at the team’s overall performance. Considering Vazquez had not started in close to two months, the coach was well in his rights to hook him.
After the game, Vazquez expressed his disappointment with the result but insisted that the All Whites will fight for the title till the end. Vazquez said (via Marca):
“The team did enough to get something more out of here; we have lacked a bit of success in the last stretch, the last pass to have clearer scoring chances, and we are not happy. We are in March; we know it is complicated, and we are going to fight until the end because we really believe that we can turn it around.”
Sunday’s draw marked Real Madrid’s second consecutive La Liga stalemate. They were held to a 1-1 draw on the previous draw at home to ten-man Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had long talk with Ancelotti after Betis draw
According to Spanish outlet Relevo, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez met Carlo Ancelotti following Los Blancos’ goalless draw at Betis on Sunday. It has been claimed that the discussion delayed Ancelotti’s post-match press conference.
The result extended Los Merengues’ winless run to three games across competitions, including a 1-0 defeat to Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal. According to the aforementioned source, Perez’s problem with Ancelotti started following Madrid's 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final in January.
The tension between the two aggravated after last week’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid, with reports claiming that Perez was not convinced with the Real Madrid manager's team selection.