Carlo Ancelotti hailed Real Madrid after a ‘special night’ to turn PSG around and reach the Champions League quarter-final, revealing they had prepared the press that forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a crucial error.
The Parisians had already won the first leg 1-0 and took the lead at the Bernabeu, both goals from Kylian Mbappé.
However, a Donnarumma error when pressed by Karim Benzema sparked a total psychological collapse from the whole team, as Benzema went on to complete his hat-trick in the space of 17 minutes.
The 3-1 result on the night sent Real Madrid through to the Champions League quarter-final 3-2 on aggregate and sealed yet another dismal night for PSG in this tournament.
Champions League: Donnarumma error sparks PSG collapse in Madrid
“It’s a special night because we won a very difficult and complicated game, even more complicated after Mbappé’s goal,” Ancelotti told Sky Sport Italia.
The coach revealed that harassing Donnarumma with the ball at his feet was a pre-prepared tactic, because Ancelotti knew full well that the goalkeeper’s weakness is his technique and composure on back-passes.
“We struggled to get the ball back, but with the high press we had tested out in training, we got the goal and that totally changed the game.
“The fans started pushing, we created more and more. It was a spectacular evening and we are very happy.”
Ancelotti also deserves credit for making the substitutions that turned things around at the Bernabeu.
“It wasn’t the first 45 minutes we expected, we had a lot of difficulties and that was only normal, but we slowly improved the pressing. Naturally, it’s tricky when you are one-on-one with Mbappé, but we survived.”
Benzema scored the three goals, but the biggest difference was Luka Modric taking control of the midfield after Marco Verratti had been pulling the strings in the first half.
“After that goal, the atmosphere in the stadium changed completely. The final half-hour was spectacular and it had to be, because otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to beat Paris Saint-Germain,” added Ancelotti.
“You rotate when a squad is tired. I rested Toni Kroos because he hadn’t trained, while Rodrygo and Camavinga brought fresh legs to the game.”
Real Madrid are back in it all thanks to the work rate of Karim Benzema 😤
Forces Donnarumma into a mistake then gets in the right position to finish!#UCL pic.twitter.com/9CpWZHOpU9
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 9, 2022
Thank you master carletto
Donnaruma always bad with his feet, it’s cost milan pretty much last season, just like against Juventus 2 season ago
As long as he doesn’t mess up like this with the Nazionale it’s all good.
From all of the Milanisti… grazie
Benzema was great but, for me MotM was without a doubt Luca Modric. My God, what a player.
WHAT.A.PLAYER!
If he isn’t good with this feet than the team needs to alter their strategy and allow him to boot the ball down the field.
Very very simple.
I hope Mancini was watching and taking notes because Portugal is
We done Gigi, and now its time to come back to serie a. And congratulations to GHOST, best flop and biggest fake in football history. This peace of shet never have been on cr7 level but its paradox that such weak loser have more ballons than cristiano 🙂
For me its biggest surprise for sure is reactions from football pundits and experts. I dont understand where is problem in their brain, why they all reacting so dramaticaly and surprised with this end of this tie? Looks like they didnt know that outcome is always the same if messi is playing, every year his team are dropping of in the same fashion and same exact way, but these experts still find how to be surprised 🙂 for me its total cosmos when I hear someone cqllin him GOAT… Where is oroblem, what is happened to so many peoples, do they have been kidnapped by NSO if they think this shet is GOAT?
We got magic mike. F you dollarumba
Milan upgraded. Donnarumma has FAILED at PSG. Maybe Juve will get him for free like PSG did
He cost Milan a lot during his time but each time, he got a pat at the back which he won’t get at PSG.
The PSG coach listened to critics and played him instead of Navas which is going to cost him his job now!
I have always said, comparing Navas to Dollarrumma is unimaginable.. I bet if Navas was an English or Italian player, he would have been rated alongside the greats like Buffon and others considering his experience and what he has won!
Sometimes it really is the most obvious thing that is also the most fitting solution.