Real Madrid scrapes through to quarter-finals after tense penalties

Real Madrid's coach, Carlo Ancelotti, expressed dissatisfaction with his players' performance, who only beat Atlético Madrid after penalty kicks in the Champions League Round of 16. "We need to improve in our focus and concentration" - Ancelotti emphasised in an interview.

Real Madrid won the first match against Atlético 2-1 but quickly conceded a goal in the second leg. In just the 28th second, Conor Gallagher scored a goal for Atlético. Ancelotti admitted that his team was losing possession too easily, which could have led to losing control of the match.

In the 70th minute, Vinícius Júnior had a chance to equalise, but he missed the penalty, sending the ball over the crossbar. "We played better as the game progressed, had our chances, but we need to improve in our focus and concentration" - added the Italian coach.

Extra time brought no resolution, so the advancement had to be decided by penalty kicks. For the Atlético team, the unlucky ones were Julián Álvarez and Marcos Llorente, while for Real, only Lucas Vázquez missed. Álvarez found the net but slipped and touched the ball twice, which invalidated the goal after a video review.

Ultimately, Antonio Rüdiger ensured Real's victory in the penalty shootout 4-2. "The tie was evenly matched and a mistake could have been costly. We wanted to finish the game before penalties, sure, but here we are, still fighting and in contention, as is customary at this club" - admitted Ancelotti.

Over the last 11 seasons, Real and Atlético have met five times in the Champions League, and each time Real emerged victorious. The "Los Blancos" are record holders in European Cup and Champions League history, having won the trophy 15 times. In the quarter-finals, Real will face Arsenal London.