Real Madrid boss Ancelotti hails team effort in bounce back win over Athletic

MADRID - Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti praised his teams character after their hard-fought 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, keeping their LaLiga title hopes alive while responding in the best possible way to their Champions League exit.

A late winner from Federico Valverde prevented the reigning Spanish champions from slipping further behind in the league title race, moving them to 69 points in second place, four points behind leaders Barcelona.

Valverde was the key because he scored the goal, Ancelotti told reporters. The team did well. We were a bit slower in the first half, but in the second half we did very well in every aspect. We wanted to win, to bounce back after being knocked out of the Champions League.

It was a good match. We were aggressive and didnt concede. We were more solid and played better as a team.

Real lacked a spark in the opening half but looked better after the break, with midfielder Jude Bellingham playing as a false nine.

We controlled the first half, we didnt feel any pressure from Athletic, but we didnt create any chances, Ancelotti said.

(Bellingham as false nine) gave us a big advantage last year. We didnt use it in the first half, but we did in the second. We attacked many times from the outside and he was there to finish it off. He deserved to score.

Ancelotti also praised winger Vinicius Jr, saying he was instrumental in the win, having a goal disallowed late in the second half and leading the attack in the absence of the suspended Kylian Mbappe.

Vinicius has a fantastic attitude and was exhausted in the second half. He was decisive, as always, the Italian coach said.

These havent been happy days for him, but I really liked his reaction.