Cliff Notes – Real Madrid can still win LaLiga despite Valencia defeat Carlo Ancelotti
- Carlo Ancelotti remains optimistic about Real Madrid’s LaLiga title chances despite a 2-1 defeat to Valencia, leaving them three points behind leaders Barcelona.
- The loss marked Valencia’s first victory at the Bernabéu in 17 years, with Hugo Duro scoring a last-minute winner after Vinícius Júnior had equalised.
- Ancelotti confirmed that injured goalkeepers Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin could return for upcoming matches, including a crucial Champions League quarterfinal against Arsenal.
Real Madrid can still win LaLiga despite Valencia defeat Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti said that Real Madrid aren’t out of the La Liga title race after their shock 2-1 home defeat to Valencia on Saturday.
Mouctar Diakhaby’s header put the visitors ahead in the 15th minute at the Santiago Bernabéu, after Vinícius Júnior had missed an early penalty.
The Brazil forward levelled in the second half, before Hugo Duro scored a dramatic 95th minute winner, to give relegation-threatened Valencia their first win at the Bernabéu in 17 years.
The loss leaves Madrid three points behind league leaders Barcelona — who host Betis later on Saturday — with the two giants still to meet in El Clásico on May 11.
“It’s much more difficult to fight for the league, but we have only one idea, to do well until the end,” Ancelotti said in his postmatch news conference. “We still have a chance. It’s less after this game, but we have to fight until the end.”
Carlo Ancelotti isn’t giving up on LaLiga
The league isn’t Madrid’s only remaining chance of a major trophy this season. They’ll also play Barça in the Copa del Rey final on April 26, and visit Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal with Arsenal on Tuesday.
Young goalkeeper Fran González, 19, made his Madrid debut against Valencia, but Ancelotti said both first choice Thibaut Courtois and deputy Andriy Lunin could recover from injury to feature at the Emirates.
“Today Courtois trained and felt good, and tomorrow he’ll train too,” Ancelotti said. “Lunin, with the doubt with Courtois, we didn’t risk him. He’ll have two or three days to try to recover, and then we’ll see for Tuesday. I think we could have both of them back.”
There were some whistles for Vinícius from the Bernabéu crowd on Saturday after his penalty miss — and before his goal — but Ancelotti said the Ballon d’Or runner-up wouldn’t be affected.
“I don’t think so,” Ancelotti said. “Vinicius is very focused on what he’s doing, he can play well or badly, but he always tries to give everything.”
Valencia coach Carlos Corberán was appointed in December with the team on just 13 points and looking likely to go down, but they’re now 15th, seven clear of three drop zone.
The victory at the Bernabéu was Valencia’s first away win in LaLiga in almost a year.
“To get a result here you have to do everything perfectly,” Corberán said. “The greatest satisfaction is for the fans, who’ve suffered so much. I know what this club is, and we owed the fans a result like this. They’ve shown us great support, and this result is for them. We hadn’t won away for a long time. The fans have suffered. We wanted to give something back to them.”