Real Madrid’s manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed concern for his defender Raul Asencio, who was reportedly “affected” by chants urging for his death during Wednesday’s Copa del Rey encounter against Real Sociedad.
Los Blancos secured a narrow 1-0 victory in the semi-final first leg, thanks to a goal from Endrick. However, the match was marred by controversy as home supporters directed chants of “Asencio die” towards the young centre-back, prompting the referee to halt play temporarily.
This incident marks the first time the match has been paused due to such taunts directed at the 22-year-old, although similar chants have been heard towards him in recent weeks at various venues.
Asencio is currently under investigation by a Spanish court for allegedly sharing an explicit video of a minor, reportedly recorded by two former Real Madrid youth players.
The referee stopped the match just before half-time after Vinicius reported the abusive chants to him.
“Vinicius spoke to the referee, and the official appropriately halted the game, adhering to the protocol in place,” Ancelotti shared with the media.
Ancelotti made the decision to replace Asencio with Lucas Vazquez at the break.
“I substituted him for two reasons—he was impacted by the situation, and he had received a yellow card, so I thought it best to take him off,” Ancelotti noted.
“Nobody wants to hear a stadium chanting for their death; understandably, he was affected by that.”
“He wasn’t particularly pleased, and I preferred to take him off to prevent his feelings from influencing the game.”
Real Sociedad’s forward Mikel Oyarzabal voiced his disapproval of the insults, stating: “Such abuse should be condemned; we don’t support it. There are more appropriate ways to express dissatisfaction with someone’s actions.”
During the stoppage, a video surfaced on social media showing a Real Sociedad supporter appearing to make monkey gestures towards Vinicius Junior.
On the pitch, reigning Spanish and European champions Madrid gained the upper hand in the tie ahead of the second leg, set for April 1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Endrick broke the deadlock in the 19th minute, finishing beautifully with the outside of his boot after receiving a diagonal pass from Jude Bellingham.
Mbappe Dental Issue
Ancelotti was without the services of French star Kylian Mbappe due to a dental issue, along with Fede Valverde and Thibaut Courtois.
The Real Madrid manager opted to rotate his squad in preparation for Saturday’s La Liga clash against Real Betis and next week’s Champions League Round of 16 showdown with Atletico Madrid.
Despite making several changes—including starting roles for Arda Guler, Fran Garcia and Eduardo Camavinga—Madrid delivered a solid performance at the Reale Arena in San Sebastian.
Endrick opened the scoring following a well-placed through ball from Bellingham, taking one touch to set himself before elegantly finishing at the near post.
This marked Endrick’s sixth goal of the season, with four of those coming in the Copa del Rey, where Ancelotti has provided him ample opportunity to shine.
Bellingham, who missed Madrid’s previous La Liga match against Girona due to suspension, displayed freshness and helped his team maintain a dominant position.
Vinicius nearly extended the lead with a low shot that was tipped to safety by Alex Remiro.
Andriy Lunin, Madrid’s goalkeeper, produced an impressive double save early in the second half to deny efforts from Mikel Oyarzabal and Takefusa Kubo.
At the other end, Madrid came close to scoring again when Endrick hit the crossbar from the edge of the box.
Remiro made another fine save, this time from Bellingham’s deflected attempt, and later thwarted another long-range effort from the same player in the dying moments, keeping Real Sociedad’s hopes of a comeback alive for the second leg.
A concern for Madrid arose when Dani Ceballos sustained a muscle injury during stoppage time following a challenge with Kubo. “He has a muscle issue,” Ancelotti confirmed.
Despite the concerns, the coach expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance.
“I believe the team is performing well. We rotated effectively while maintaining our defensive solidity. It was a solid display,” he remarked.
In the other semi-final first leg on Tuesday, Atletico Madrid staged a thrilling comeback to draw 4-4 with the record 31-time cup winners, Barcelona.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
Fanpage: SportArena.com.au.
LiveScore – Live Sports Results & Odds.
