Real Madrid Gemilang Di Piala Super Spanyol, Ancelotti: Pemain Tak Pernah Berih

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. (X/@realmadrid)

JAKARTA - Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said he was proud of his players. They did not give up when they beat Atletico Madrid 5-3 in Madrid Derby in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup.

Ancelotti deserves to have fun. He went through one of the toughest matches he had ever faced before Madrid beat a city rival in a duel at Al-Awwal Park Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, January 11 in the morning WIB.

Yes, derby matches are never easy. Especially if the strength of the two teams in one city is indeed balanced like this Madrid duo.

Madrid are at the top of the Spanish La Liga standings with 48 points. Meanwhile, Atletico is in fifth position and is still struggling to enter the Champions League zone.

The distance that is not much different from the two teams makes the derby go tight and hot. Ancelotti was also wary because Atletico managed to score a quick goal when the game had only been running for six minutes.

After Madrid equalized the score through Antonio Rudiger, the two teams then took turns breaking into the opponent's goal.

Madrid were 3-2 behind after Rudiger scored his second goal, but this time it went against himself, aka an own goal.

But Los Merengues refused to give up. As a result, Dani Carvajal equalized the score to 3-3 when the game was five minutes remaining.

Carvajal's goal boosted the spirit of Madrid's players. In the extra time round, Madrid were able to score two goals through Savio and Brahim Diaz's suicide. A tiring and driving and renalin match from the first minute to the 120th minute.

Ancelotti also praised the performance of his team. They refused to give up and managed to get up to win the game.

"The game, from end to end, is very competitive and has to fight hard. It's really a big game. We won because we had more energy," said Ancelotti.

"Players never give up. This is Real Madrid's DNA and it is an important lesson for young players. We could lose this game, but we never give up," he said firmly.

Ancelotti, further, said that Madrid Derby brought together the two strongest teams. He specifically praised Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann for scoring goals and making assists in that match.

"I think both teams are equally strong. Atletico played well and they were ahead in possession in the first half. Griezmann also played at the highest level. Their game organization was very neat. Against them it was always a tough match," he said.

Success in qualifying for the final, Madrid will meet Barcelona against Osasuna. Ancelotti hopes to meet the target of winning the Spanish Super Cup.

"The team is in a happy condition. We remain calm after a emotional match. We still have 90 minutes of matches before lifting the trophy. That's our target," said Ancelotti.