Castello (Spain), March 16 Coach Carlo Ancelotti has stated that Real Madrid will not play any matches if it is scheduled with less than 72 hours of rest between matches. He claimed Madrid had contacted La Liga twice about the scheduling issues but to no avail.
Madrid beat Villarreal 2-1 on Saturday, but the game kicked off just under 67 hours after Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 win over Atletico Madrid, which went to extra time and penalties.
"We held our own physically. In the second half, the team was exhausted, but that was normal. This victory speaks volumes about the team and the resources this squad has. This is the last time we'll play a game without 72 hours of rest. We will never play a game with less than that. We asked La Liga to change it twice and nothing happened," Ancelotti said in a post-match press conference.
In 2023, FIFA recommended a minimum compulsory rest period of 72 hours between games, which Madrid have invoked in their protest to La Liga.
Real Madrid came from behind against Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica and provisionally took the top spot in the league after a perfect week, which also included Champions League quarter-final qualification.
Kylian Mbappe was decisive, scoring a brace in the first half to cancel out Foyth's early goal. Villarreal set a very high pace and soon caught Madrid, who had not had 72 hours of rest since their last game, off guard. Thibaut Courtois made a great save in the 7th minute to turn Ayoze's shot behind for a corner.
Baena's corner was not cleared by our defense and the ball, after bouncing off Tchouameni's back, dropped to Foyth, who punished Madrid with a left-footed shot to make it 1-0.
“I'm very proud of my players because it was a tricky game because of everything that happened with our rest period and also because of the strength of the opposition, they are a team that play very well. We held up physically, in the second half the team was exhausted but that was to be expected. This victory says a lot about the team and the attributes that this squad has," said Ancelotti.
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