A violent tackle that had Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe sent off in its 1-0 La Liga win at Deportivo Alaves on Sunday was a consequence of a number of small fouls committed against the Frenchman, said assistant coach Davide Ancelotti.
Real was left with 10 men before halftime when Mbappe saw a straight red after taking down Alaves midfielder Antonio Blanco as the referee overturned his initial decision of booking him with a yellow after consulting with VAR.
“Kylian is certainly not a violent guy, he is a guy who has apologised and is aware of the mistake he has made,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“Surely, it was a clear red card, and he has paid the consequences.
“I think that the many small fouls that were committed against him have made him react in this way, which is the wrong way to react. I’m not justifying it, but I think that’s why it happened.”
Real, which on Wednesday hosts Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals after going down 3-0 in the first leg, needed a boost and Eduardo Camavinga scored with a brilliant curled shot in the 34th minute.
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But the visitor struggled at relegation-threatened Alaves, which created more chances – including on target – and had more possession in the second half, as the disciplined Real defence fought tooth and nail to keep its narrow advantage safe.
Alaves was also reduced to 10 players in the 70th minute after Real substitute Vinicius Jr suffered a dangerous foul by Manu Sanchez, who also was sent off.
“The victory gives us confidence,” Ancelotti added. “We knew it wouldn’t be easy. What happened in the game made it a little more complicated for us, but winning gives us confidence for what we want to happen on Wednesday.”
Davide, son and assistant coach of Carlo Ancelotti, managed the team at Alaves as the Real manager was suspended for the game after seeing his fifth yellow card in the loss to Valencia last weekend.
