Alessandro Del Piero believes Real Madrid weren’t only lucky against Manchester City yesterday, although Pep Guardiola’s men ‘could have scored eight goals.’
The Merengues suffered a 4-3 loss at the Etihad Stadium yesterday in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. It was one of the most spectacular games of the season and Madrid managed to keep their qualification hopes alive despite going down to two goals in the opening 20 minutes.
“It was a spectacular game, City scored four goals, but could have scored eight,” Del Piero told Sky Sport Italia.
“Details often make the difference. On the other hand, Madrid have a team full of champions. Karim Benzema and Luka Modric are rare players. When you make a mistake, they always punish you.”
What’s the secret behind Madrid’s personality and capacity to always remain in the game?
“I believe that it depends on their mentality, which the club sets,” Del Piero said.
“You saw what Benzema did. At some point [with Madrid 2-0 down], he collected the ball and rushed to take a corner kick…it was a signal to show that, despite everything, they were still in the game.
“Real Madrid were a bit lucky as well, but some things don’t happen by chance. When you have players with personality, like Benzema, Modric, Toni Kroos….these players know what to do and have the experience of remaining calm in difficult times.”
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have already eliminated PSG and Chelsea from the competition. The Italian tactician holds the record for the most Champions League victories as a coach: three, as many as Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane, his former assistant in Madrid.