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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has heaped praise on Antonio Rudiger following the centre-back’s impressive performance in the UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg against Manchester City on Tuesday (May 9).
The reigning champions drew 1-1 with City at the Santiago Bernabeu. Madrid drew first blood through Vinicius Junior in the 36th minute, but a Kevin De Bruyne strike in the 67th minute saw the visitors restore parity.
Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland failed to make his presence felt. and much of it was down to Rudiger’s flawless defending.
The former Chelsea man was not afraid to take the fight to the intimidating Norwegian and did not lose sight of him all night. Ancelotti showered Rudiger with praise for the shift he put in.
“Toni Rudiger… excellent,” said Ancelotti (via Metro). Top performance. He was very good; he’s a player with great experience, quality. It wasn’t easy but he played very well. I’m so happy with Toni.”
Rudiger won two aerial duels, performed three clearances and made three recoveries. Under his tight watch, Haaland, who has scored 51 goals in 47 games across competitions this season, touched the ball only 21 times.
Antonio Rudiger confident Real Madrid can beat Manchester City at Etihad
Fresh off an impressive display, Antonio Rudiger has proclaimed that Real Madrid will go to the Etihad with confidence for the return leg next week.
He hailed Kevin De Bruyne’s stunning outside-the-box pile driver but said that Pep Guardiola’s men were not dangerous (via Metro):
“They got the goal quite late, so we feel like we could have had more, but it’s not a problem. The tie is definitely on, and we can go to Manchester with confidence. At the end of the day they were not dangerous. They had a lot of possession. We knew this would happen, but they were not dangerous. The goal is quality from De Bruyne.”
When asked if Real Madrid could eliminate the Cityzens in Manchester next Wednesday (May 17), Rudiger said:
“We are Real Madrid. We are always confident.”
While Manchester City had more possession (56% vs 44%) and completed more passes (512 vs 392), Madrid had more shots (13 vs 10). Ancelotti’s men also ended the game with a higher xG score (0.7 vs 0.55).
