Real Madrid slump continues with UCL loss to AC Milan
Real Madrid’s Champions League defence suffered yet another setback as they fell 3-1 to AC Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday (AEDT).
German defender Malick Thiaw gave the visitors a surprise lead in 12th minute with a powerful header, but Vinicius Jr equalised from the spot in the 23rd minute.
The hosts found themselves trailing the match yet again when former Madrid forward Alvaro Morata pounced on a loose ball to restore Milan’s lead six minutes before the break.
Deep into the second half, Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders completed a breathtaking counterattack to secure all three points for the visitors.
Victory lifted the Rossoneri to 18th on the Champions League table with six points, while Real Madrid dropped to 17th after sustaining their second defeat in three European games.
Speaking after the match, Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca claimed his side fully deserved the win.
“I think we won because the players had the courage to come here and play their game, without fear of anything,” he said.
“We wanted to keep the ball, we did great things in the first half and then we struggled a little bit more after the break.
“We did it together and we fully deserved this win not just because we scored three goals, but we also played with high quality.”
Meanwhile, a disappointed Carlo Ancelotti emphasised an urgent need for his side to improve.
“We have to be concerned, the team is not playing well,” the Real Madrid manager said.
“The team is not compact, we need to be more compact, more organised, we’ve conceded a lot of goals.
“The team is not well organised on the pitch and we need to work on this.
“We have to focus on what we have today, which is a team that is not at its best, and get back to our level so we can fight for all competitions.”
This was Madrid’s second consecutive defeat in all competitions, following their 4-0 humbling by Barcelona in El Clasico at the end of October.
Real Madrid will be eager to return to winning ways against Osasuna in La Liga this weekend, with top soccer betting sites paying -555.56 for the champions to beat the visiting Rojillos (+1400).
Meanwhile, online bookmakers have Milan at -166.67 to defeat Cagliari (+450) on the road in Serie A action.