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Carlo Ancelotti said he was “sad and disappointed” after Real Madrid‘s 5-2 Supercopa final defeat to Barcelona in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, while admitting his team “didn’t defend well.”
Kylian Mbappé put Madrid ahead in the fifth minute before Lamine Yamal levelled and goals from Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Alejandro Balde put Barça 4-1 up at half-time. Raphinha added a fifth goal after the break before goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off, and Rodrygo pulled a goal back for Madrid.
The result was a boost for Barcelona and coach Hansi Flick after their league form had slumped in recent weeks, and a blow for Madrid, who missed out on what would have been their third trophy this season.
“We have to look at the reality. We didn’t defend well,” a deflated Ancelotti said in his post-match news conference. “We tried to press high and defend with a low block. They scored the goals easily, and we didn’t work hard, collectively or individually.
“We lost a lot of duels. That makes us sad and disappointed, but that’s football. We have to take that sadness home. I understand the sadness of our fans. We feel that, but we have to look forward, and prepare for the next game, and recover the good form we’d been in.”
Madrid are next in action in the Copa del Rey last 16 on Thursday, hosting Celta Vigo at the Bernabéu, before playing Las Palmas in LaLiga.
“I won’t name anyone, I’m talking about the whole team,” Ancelotti said. “We didn’t defend well, we weren’t compact, and we have to defend better … We had an extra man [after Szczesny’s red card] and we couldn’t find solutions. But that doesn’t hurt more, I’m sad about the game as a whole.”
The Italian coach praised Mbappé, who has now scored in all three final appearances for Madrid — the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and now the Spanish Supercopa — and has found the net 14 times in all competitions this season.
“I’d focus on Mbappé, who had a very good game,” Ancelotti said. “It was a great move to score the goal. But the rest we should forget about, and look forward.”