Carlo Ancelotti says it is ‘more difficult’ for Real Madrid to win La Liga after stoppage-time loss to Valencia
Published 05/04/2025 at 20:23 GMT+1
Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 loss to Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu after Hugo Duro's 95th-minute header gave the visitors their first win on Madrid's turf in 17 years. Carlo Ancelotti confessed that the loss has made it harder for the defending champions to fight for the Liga title, with chances for silverware still up for grabs in the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League.
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Carlo Ancelotti admitted that Real Madrid have made the Liga title harder to fight for following their 2-1 loss to Valencia at home, a game in which Vinicius Junior missed his second penalty in the space of a month.
Hugo Duro shocked the champions with a header five minutes into stoppage time to capture Valencia's first win at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2008.
The loss sees Madrid lose ground in the title race to Barcelona, who have the chance to extend their lead to six points with a win against Real Betis.
"It's more difficult to fight for La Liga now," Ancelotti said following the Valencia loss. "But we want to do well until the end because we still have a chance. We have to keep fighting until the last game.
"We have to keep in mind that small details condemned us. The penalty, the set piece, and the disallowed goal.
"These are small details that change the dynamic of the match. Valencia did a fantastic job, but Madrid deserved to win the match. There are also things that need to be improved."
Mouctar Diakhaby put the visitors ahead in the 15th minute after Vinicius missed an early penalty.
The Brazilian managed to level the score in the second half before Duro snatched three points for relegation candidates Valencia.
Madrid travel to the Emirates for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash with Arsenal on April 8 before returning to face Alaves in the league, for which Ancelotti will be suspended after picking up a yellow card against Valencia.
"We missed the opportunity to fight harder for the league. The game against Arsenal will be different because they'll attack more, and we have to be more solid. We also have to be more effective in front of goal," he added.
Madrid still have a Clasico clash in the league with Hansi Flick's Barcelona side in May, but will face off in the Copa del Rey final on April 26.
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The hosts squandered plenty of chances across the 90 minutes, notably Vinicius' penalty miss which came less than a month after he failed to convert a spot kick against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
It was the club's fifth penalty miss this season, their most in a campaign since 2013/14 - per the BBC, and Ancelotti is aware of the struggle his penalty takers have faced this year.
"It's been a tough season for penalty takers. [Jude] Bellingham missed against Valencia, [Kylian] Mbappe in Bilbao and against Liverpool, and Vinicius also missed against Atletico. Today I wanted to give him the confidence to take it, and he missed that one too.
"Vinicius is focused on what he's doing. He may do it well or poorly, but he always gives his all."
Ancelotti is already being asked whether Kylian Mbappe will take over the reins as the main penalty taker, to which the Italian said: "We'll see."
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