Alliance with good memories every time he faces the quarterfinals of the Champions League with Real Madrid, guaranteed the semi-finals in each of the four editions he coached in his two spells on the white bench, 19 years separate Carlo Ancelotti’s two most painful defeats in the competition in which he is now a legend. From the latter he has a chance to take revenge.
From 4-0 suffered against Deportivo de La Coruña in Riazor, on April 7, 2004, by order of AC Milan in the return quarterfinal he faced after a 4-1 victory in the first leg that felt like a tie, in the review suffered by City of Manchester in the second leg of the semi-finals of the last edition, ‘Carletto’ This gave him time to become the most successful coach.
In total, 43 coaches have led their teams to win the European Cup since its inception, 20 have repeated the feat, only three (Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola) have achieved it three times and one only, Carlo Ancelotti, has done it .starred in four. Milan champion in 2003 and 2007. Real Madrid champion in 2014 and 2022.
But these days, at italian technician Bad memories crossed his mind more times than many good memories. The lesson learned that always leaves defeat as a legacy, from inferiority. The day Ancelotti celebrated his golden anniversary with his 50th match against the ‘Champions’ with Real Madrid (now it has reached 58), especially since he also surpassed the 191 games coached by Sir Alex Ferguson and became the coach with the most games, he received one of the most painful defeats of his long career.
A failed strategy. A team subdued by a rival. The immobility, in that black night for Real Madrid, of the coach, who embedded to Eduardo Camavinga on the left side as his team broke from low in the midfield con Toni Kroos pivot and Aurélien Tchouaménand on the bench. It was Real Madrid’s second heaviest defeat in the competition’s history.
The conquest before the Copa del Rey, the Club World Cup and the Spanish Super Cup was maintained ‘Carletto’ after one of the defeats that cost positions in a big club. And football offers him a chance for revenge Pep Guardiola. The pulse of the two coaches with the most games won in the Champions League: 116 for the Italian compared to 112 for the Spanish coach.
Carlo was never good at Manchester City, to whom he lost up to eight of his eleven confrontations in his career. He only beat him once in regulation time, in Chelsea’s control of the Premier League, and another, memorably, in extra time in the semi-finals of the ‘Champions’. After doubling in a minute of Rodrygo eIn extra time to reach the final of the Champions League of comebacks where Real Madrid did the impossible.
Guardiola’s reunion arrive currently in the quarterfinals, a round that has surpassed the last eleven times that Real Madrid has visited it and in which it has not failed. ‘Carletto’ at the command of the white ship. The Madrid team achieved this after winning all six games in the group stage for the third time in their history. They beat Napoli, Braga and Union Berlin on their way. They eliminated Leipzig in the round of 16, with more difficulty than they expected, breaking their winning streak in the second leg with a draw.
In its first season, Ancelotti He gave the Madrid fans the tenth. In Lisbon, against Atlético de Madrid. In that edition, 2013-14, they met Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals. A resounding 3-0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first leg, with goals from Gareth Bale, Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to leave everyone ready for the decider, but a double from Marco Reus on 37 minutes in Germany, the reason for Real Madrid. to sweat the pass in the semifinals.
In his second campaign, he failed to get past the semifinals but did not fail in the quarterfinals. Before losing to Juventus and closing his first period on the bench in Madrid, he won a tie full of equality against another technician who pushed him to the limit, the Argentine Diego Simeone. A goalless draw in the first leg in the red and white fiefdom went well at the Bernabéu, eliminating Atlético de Madrid thanks to a lone goal from Mexican Chicharito Hernández two minutes from time.
On his return, Ancelotti He repeated his feat by pushing Real Madrid to the title. With greater merit if possible in a ‘Champions’, the fourteenth, where he has overcome epic moments. PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City. The quarterfinals left a display of muscle at Stamford Bridge, with Karim Benzema’s hat trick (1-3), and the sense of homework done in the return that saw him on the precipice. In 75 minutes at the Bernabéu they threw everything into the ground losing 0-3 to Rodrygo first and Benzema later, they gave the pass in extra time.
The Madrid team repeated their rival in the last quarterfinals and this time there was no room for reaction Chelsea. Changing the order of the matches, goals from Benzema and Marco Asensio at the Bernabéu linked with Rodrygo’s double at Stamford Bridge to send them into the semi-final against Manchester City.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
