Ancelotti rues Real's missed chances against rampant Catalans

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti lamented his side's missed opportunities in its staggering 4-0 home defeat to bitter rival Barcelona in a La Liga Clasico on Saturday, but said it was not all doom and gloom, despite the result.

"It was an evenly played match until they scored their first goal. We played with intensity in the first half, but lacked a bit of accuracy," Ancelotti told a news conference. "We had chances to take the lead, but they scored two goals, which sapped our energy," he said of Robert Lewandowski's quick-fire double early in the second-half that set the league leader Barca on course to deliver its 4-0 thrashing.

"That's when another game started," he added.

Prior to that, the home side had dominated possession and missed various chances, mainly through off-form Kylian Mbappe. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha put the bow on Barca's win with a goal apiece.

"We are hurt, it's a tough moment, but I want to thank the fans for their support. We don't have to throw everything away, because there is nothing to throw away," assured the downhearted Ancelotti.

"We have to forget the last 30 minutes. The season is very long, we must not give up.

"We have to learn from it. It's time to bounce back. The team can do better, and we will."

Ancelotti said he thinks Real Madrid deserved better, and that he didn't believe the result told the true story of the match, but acknowledged that his team paid the price for missing so many chances.

"The result doesn't reflect what happened on the pitch. We couldn't take the lead, and they went ahead and took it. The game, until the first goal, was very even and we had more chances," Ancelotti said, before commenting on Mbappe's lackluster performance, being caught offside eight times.

"It was known that Barca use a high defense, and we barely took advantage of it. (Mbappe) had chances and was sometimes offside, but he had three or four chances where he needed to be more accurate."

REUTERS