Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 9y

Carlo Ancelotti upset with Real Madrid's defensive errors

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti rued defensive errors after Thursday's 2-2 Copa del Rey last 16 draw at home to Atletico Madrid saw Los Blancos crash out of the competition 4-2 on aggregate.

Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo presented the Ballon d'Or award picked up on Monday to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu crowd pre-game, but he was completely upstaged by returning Atletico hero Fernando Torres, who scored early in both halves to maintain his side's control of the tie.

Sergio Ramos scored Madrid's first equaliser, and Ronaldo headed in a Gareth Bale cross midway through the second half, but Atletico were generally comfortable and go forward to meet Barcelona in the quarterfinals.

At his post-match news conference the Blancos boss said that his men had paid dearly for giving Torres two chances to score, while maintaining that he was actually happy with how Madrid had otherwise played.

"The mistakes we made, bringing the ball out from the back, we paid very dearly for," Ancelotti said. "[But] I am delighted with the way team played in the first half, it is impossible to play better. It was very difficult going behind so early, but we fronted up and played very, very well.

"It is the first time we have made these type of mistakes, and I do not think they will happen again. The team usually plays out from the back with a lot of quality.

"We cannot forget the other part of the game, for one hour we played, in my opinion, spectacularly."

Atletico have already also overcome Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa and La Liga this season, making it three wins and two draws for Simeone's men in five meetings since their heartbreak in last season's Champions League final.

But Ancelotti would not accept a reporter's suggestion that his side now found it unable to beat their much lower-paid local rivals, while pointing out that Madrid still have a four-point lead over Atletico in the La Liga table.

"The way to beat them we found last year, but not yet this year," he said. "We still have one game to play. But this is not so important. In La Liga we have an advantage over Atletico. We know Atletico are a very strong team, and we will set out to play in a better way the next time we meet."

Both Madrid goals came from headers from crosses, one from a set-piece, and the home side for long spells struggled to turn a big majority of possession into clear-cut chances in front of goal. Ancelotti claimed not to have been worried by his side's inability to open up the well-organised Atletico defence.

"To play through the centre is very difficult against Atletico," he said. "They close up their lines very well, so there is more space outside. We put in a lot of crosses. The concern would be if we did not make chances.

"We played well in the first half, with quality and intensity. I cannot be worried about that. We scored two goals. The concern comes from the mistakes at the back, playing out the ball."

The Italian did however go along with a reporter's suggestion that a silver lining in the Copa exit would be avoiding two tiring games against Barcelona before the resumption of Madrid's Champions League campaign against Schalke in February.

"Having more time to prepare for the Champions League for sure is better for the team," Ancelotti said.

Madrid centre-back Pepe, who left the action midway through the second half after an apparently accidental coming together with Atletico's Raul Garcia, would have scans on a potential broken rib, Ancelotti said.

"[Pepe] has a bang in ribs, which hurt him in that moment," he said. "He will do an X-ray, and we will see what happens over the next hours."

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