'We were bad': Real Madrid Manager Carlo Ancelotti Takes Responsibility of Shock UCL Loss vs Lille

On Wednesday, La Liga giants Real Madrid suffered a shock 0-1 loss against French club Lille FC in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25. Los Blancos looked off-color the entire game and despite having the firepower of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. up front the side could not breach the Lille's defense. The hosts took the lead just at the stroke of halftime through a spot kick from Jonathan David.

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No Dramatic Comeback This Time

Real Madrid, who are famous for their never-say-die attitude and turning the tables in the blink of an eye in the final minutes, were kept at bay by Lille FC. The defeat marks the official signature to the assertion that the Royal Whites have a subdued start to the season. They have failed to dominate till now and not being able to open their account in Wednesday's UCL game showcases their struggle in creating a clear-cut chance.

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No Excuses Given By Carlo Ancelotti

Following the culmination of the match, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti paid heed to his team's loss and admitted that his players lacked intensity, couldn't make the most of the possession they earned, and overall were "bad with the ball."

"The opponent played better, and deserved to win," Ancelotti said in his post-match news conference. "In terms of duels, intensity, consistency. We have to learn what we have to improve, which is quite obvious, it isn't very complicated.

"Today everything was quite bad. We were bad with the ball. It was hard for us to win the ball back. It was hard for us to transition. We needed to be more aggressive.

"The feeling today is that it was hard for us to create. Our possession of the ball was quite slow, with few ideas. We have forwards who need to play more vertically. If it's hard for you to control the ball, and it gets to the forwards slowly, it's a problem."