UCL: Ancelotti, Lunin confirms Real Madrid stars were thoroughly prepared for penalty showdown with City

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti and goalkeeper Andre Lunin have confirmed that the Los Blancos were well prepared for a penalty shootout against their UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-final opponent Manchester City.

After a 3-3 draw between both clubs at the Santiago Bernabeu last week, the eventual winner had to be decided on penalties at the Etihad Stadium last night, after a 1-1 draw after the extra time.

Rodrygo had given the Ancelotti-tutored side the lead in the first half. Still, an equaliser from Kevin De Bruyne in the second half ensured the defending champions took the match to penalties, against a defensively resolute Madrid.

Although Luka Modric missed the opening kick for the Spanish giants, Lunin made two crucial saves to send them through to the semis.

“All the players who were left to pitch were prepared and I had to take a chance with one of them. Fortunately, it worked out well. In one (Bernardo Silva’s) I had to stay in the centre,” the Ukrainian goalkeeper said.

“Sometimes you have games where you have to dig in and fight your way through. You can’t always play with the ball or be the best team on the pitch. It was an amazing experience for me and the team put in an incredible effort for the 120 minutes.

“The man of the match today is the team. We players always speak together and they helped me, alongside the coaching staff. We picked well and it all worked out.”

Ancelotti added, “They were all very confident and we had no problems choosing the five takers. Lunin was well prepared as well.

“There was only one way to get out of here alive. We did well to score early on and then we showed the commitment to defend the lead. We defended well, we had to dig in and fight hard. We could have played better but the team were defensively superb.”

“We showed the attitude and commitment demanded by this jersey. This is a very special competition for us and we always deliver something that people are not expecting us to produce. Everyone was writing us off but we’re still here.”

Real Madrid will now face Bayern Munich in the semi-final of the 2023/24 UCL season, with the winner of the two-legged tie set to face the winner of the Paris Saint Germain vs Borrusia Dortmund clash at the Wembley Stadium on June 1.