“We’d love it if the Bernabeu would be a on our side” - Real Madrid star sends message to home crowd after being booed
Real Madrid star Nacho sent a strong message to the home crowd after his side were booed in their second-leg Champions League match against RB Leipzig on Wednesday (March 6).
The round-of -16 encounter saw Los Blancos put in an uninspiring performance, which ended 1-1. However, the Spanish giants managed to sneak into the quarter-final after winning 2-1 on aggregate.
This marks Carlo Ancelotti's second consecutive draw across competitions after the 2-2 result against Valencia over the weekend (March 2). Nacho, who started against RB Leipzig in central defence alongside Antonio Rudiger, said after the match (via @theMadridZone):
"The Bernabeu booing us? We know how demanding this club is. We would love it if the Bernabeu would be a little more on our side when we're not doing well, but this is Real Madrid and it's very demanding."
On the night, the La Liga outfit enjoyed slightly more of the ball (54%) but managed comprehensively fewer shots than their German opposition (20 to 11). RB Leipzig also recorded more attempts on target (four to three).
Vinicius Junior scored the first goal of the match in the 65th minute but saw his strike cancelled out by Willi Orban just three minutes later. Real Madrid will return to league action against Celta Vigo on Sunday (March 10), when they will be hoping for a better response from the Santiago Bernabeu.
Carlo Ancelotti backs home fans to turn up for Real Madrid's quarter-final fixture
Real Madrid have enjoyed stellar success in the UEFA Champions League, winning the competition the most times (14). AC Milan are second on the list with seven, while Liverpool and Bayern Munich have won it six times each.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti is hoping for a better response from the home crowd in the quarter-final after a poor showing against RB Leipzig. He said (via the club's official website):
"Our fans always help and support us. We've had spectacular and historic nights in this stadium. Today wasn't a good night in some respects, but now we have another quarter-final at the Bernabeu and the atmosphere is definitely going to be spectacular.”
Last season, Ancelotti and Co. were beaten in the semi-finals by eventual Champions League winners Manchester City. After playing out a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Pep Guardiola's team convincingly defeated Los Blancos 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium.