Madrid, March 2 Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr admitted the loss against Real Betis was a ‘bad match’ by their standards and hailed the fans to bring ‘madness at the Santiago Bernabeu’ for the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 game against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday (IST).
The upcoming matches between the sides will be the third and fourth Madrid derby of the season with the two league ties having finished in draws.
“A bad match yesterday for everyone, but it’s done!!!! Let Tuesday be a madness at the Bernabeu!! We need you all!!!!! See you there!," read the post by Vini on 'X'.
Real Madrid were defeated 2-1 by Real Betis at the Benito Villamarín in a challenging encounter. Los Blancos started strong and took the lead in the 10th minute, thanks to a brilliant team move. Mbappe's quick turn and precise pass found Mendy, who assisted Brahim to score.
However, Betis responded well and equalised in the 33rd minute through a Johnny header from an Isco corner. The hosts came close to taking the lead before half-time, but Courtois made a vital save.
The second half proved tough for Madrid. Isco converted a penalty in the 54th minute after Rudiger fouled Jesus Rodríguez, putting Betis ahead. Madrid pushed for a response, but despite chances from Endrick and Vini Jr., they couldn't find the equaliser. Betis came close to extending their lead when Cucho Hernandez missed a one-on-one, but Madrid’s efforts ultimately fell short, and the match ended 2-1 in Betis’ favour.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted if the Los Blancos played this way in the two-legged tie against Atletico then they will not win.
“If we play like that, we're not going to win on Tuesday, that's pretty clear. Hopefully, this match will serve as a wake-up call, a lesson. It seemed that the team was much more organised and compact in recent times, but today we weren't able to do that like in previous games,” said Ancelotti at the post-game press conference.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor