Real Madrid fans and players celebrated their hard-fought win against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night to earn a quarterfinal berth in the Champions League, but manager Carlo Ancelotti was more relieved than rapturous at what he said was a subpar performance.
Real secured the victory 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after the tie ended 2-2 in aggregate as the defending champions bid for a record-extending 16th European Cup win.
Ancelotti was disappointed Real conceded a goal inside the first minute that levelled the tie after Real had secured a 2-1 first-leg advantage at home last week.
He urged his players to be sharper as they prepare to face Arsenal for a place in the semis.
I have tried to explain to my players that the priority was not to make the game more complicated than it already was, Ancelotti said.