Ancelotti: "The fans are going to help us in the second leg for sure"

Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the Allianz Arena press room after the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, which saw Real Madrid and Bayern Munich play out a two-goal draw. The coach had the following to say: “The commitment was fantastic, especially at the end to try to equalise. Bayern showed their best and we only did so in parts of the match. The best moment of the game for us was when we conceded the goals. We had plenty of possession, but they were looking for a way to break the deadlock and scored both goals. It's a good result and gives us confidence for the second leg. The tie is open because Bayern have players with great qualities.”

“The tie is the same as it was yesterday. It's no surprise what Bayern have done because they have players with plenty of quality who can hurt you. Unfortunately, they scored against us when we were at our best. Afterwards, with effort and the contribution of those who came into the game, we managed to equalise.”

The importance of Bernabéu in the return leg
“We’ve reached this point in the season with a fantastic opportunity to play in another final. When you have the ball, you have to attack well and when you don't have it, you have to defend well. We'll try to do this because you can't always have the ball. We didn't see the best Real Madrid today. Let's hope we see it in the second leg. It's going to be tough because we're playing against a great team and the tie is evenly balanced, but the fans are going to help us in the second leg for sure.”

Vini Jr.’s eye for goal
“He can play there, as a striker, because he's learned to move well without the ball and to attack the back line. He's very cool in front of goal. Of course you need a midfield player who can play that ball to you like for the first goal.”

Kroos’s fine performance
“It's quite normal for him to be one of those with the best pass. He's one of the best midfielders with these characteristics. We wanted to handle the ball better because it was difficult for them to win the ball back and he handles the ball like nobody else.”

The introduction of Brahim and Modrić
“The plan was to try to get back into the game with fresh legs. That's the only way to explain the substitution of Kroos, who was having a spectacular game. Bellingham had cramp and couldn't play any more. I have resources in the squad and I have to make the most of them.”

Start of the clash
“We don't have a very clear identity. Today we didn't want to play in a low block, but we started in a low block. We should have defended with more intensity, like we did for 120 minutes against Manchester City. Then the momentum changed.”

Bellingham
“He'll be back to his best. He had the injury, which affected him considerably. He hasn't been at his best, but he'll be back very soon and by Wednesday he'll be at 100%."