Carlo Ancelotti reveals 'small detail' that sealed Real Madrid's Copa fate vs. Barcelona

Atrayo Bhattacharya

Carlo Ancelotti reveals 'small detail' that sealed Real Madrid's Copa fate vs. Barcelona image

Real Madrid went down fighting in their Copa del Rey final in Seville against arch-rivals Barcelona in a five-goal thriller. 

The Catalans stormed into a first-half lead through Pedri's wonder-strike, but Real Madrid pulled the game back in the second-half, with goals from Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni. 

Ferran Torres' late intervention rolled the game into extra time before one final twist secured Barcelona's night of chaotic glory.

As Jules Kounde darted into a pocket of space near the Real Madrid penalty area in the 116th minute., the French international kept his cool to lash home beyond Thibaut Courtois, and leave Carlo Ancelotti stunned.

The late goal from the Frenchman knocked the wind out of Real Madrid's  sails as three of their players were sent off at the final whistle 

Following the defeat, Ancelotti opened up on how the  slipped away from his team, with a key mistake in the lead up to Koundee's winner.

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Carlo Ancelotti points out the reason for Real Madrid defeat

The Italian was realistic in his assessment of the game, as he felt Los Blancos had an opportunity to see out the game in regular time, but he also flagged up an error in judgment between Brahim Diaz and Luka Modric, seconds before Kounde let fly.

Carlo Ancelotti Real Madrid

"Was it Modric’s mistake or Brahim’s? Brahim thought Luka would have played the pass to feet and not in front," as per reports from Marca.

"Kounde then shoots low and hard into the goal. These are small details that sometimes cost you nothing, and other times they cost you a lot.

The 65-year-old was happy with the fight shown by his players and felt they had the match under control. 

"Overall, I felt we had the game under control, but they were able to play balls in behind us, and that’s when things got complicated, particularly for their second goal.

"We have to keep fighting because we gave everything, we competed very well, and there’s nothing to complain about. We were closer to winning than our opponents were."

Defeat in the final ends Real Madrid's chances of a trophy double this season, after already being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, and they are currently four points behind leaders Barcelona in the La Liga title race, with only five games left. 

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Atrayo Bhattacharya

Atrayo Bhattacharya is a content producer for The Sporting News, working across English editions.