Ancelotti: This is the reason for substituting Vinicius, and Atletico left with their heads held high

Real Madrid's coach appeared in a press conference after qualifying for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League on penalties against Atletico Madrid (4-2), following a 1-0 defeat in the second leg and a 2-1 win in the first leg.

The coach said: "The match was difficult as usual, and it became more challenging due to the early goal we conceded. After that, the game became very clear in terms of reading. They defended and tried to push us out of our positions on the counter-attack. The priority was to seek effective possession by looking for opportunities, but without complicating the match."

He added: "It's hard to create chances against Atletico because they are a very good team defensively. We had a great play from Mbappe, we missed the penalty, and the match was balanced until the penalties. We put our best player first, Mbappe, and for the fifth spot, we chose Rudiger because he scored against City."

He continued: "How did you see the cancellation of the penalty taken by Julian? Did they notice that from the bench? I think they might have discovered it already. And when we realized this doubt, it had already been detected by the VAR. I didn't notice what happened; I saw it, and it seems to me that he touched the ball with his left foot."

He added: "What could make a difference in the penalty? I have no idea. You have to choose the calmest option possible. I still think it's like a lottery; either heads or tails. Atletico leaves this tournament with their heads held high because they played at a good level."

He followed: "How did you face this challenge? Calmly, because when it's a lottery, when it's just a coin toss, you can't go crazy; you have to wait and see what happens."

Regarding Ferland Mendy's injury: "It could be a muscle injury; he felt a pinch in his thigh muscle."

About the penalty missed by Vinicius: "Vinicius was supposed to take it, but unfortunately, he missed it."

He stated: "What do you think of Camavinga's match? He played his best in the hardest match. He wasn't at his best in recent matches. The duo of Tchouameni and Modric performed very well, and I preferred to substitute Tchouameni, who received a yellow card, to avoid any risk; Camavinga had a very good game both offensively and defensively."

He continued: "What is your psychological analysis of the match? I tried to explain the priority, which is not to complicate the match by losing unnecessary balls that could surprise you. If they had scored 2-0, the match would have become very complicated. We had more opportunities in extra time and the second half."

About the reason for substituting Vinicius: "He didn't intend to take any penalties and asked me to substitute him because he was tired."

He continued: "We always have to look for improvement. In the specific context of this match, I tried to explain what the priority was, because sometimes it seemed like we needed to score, but we never got out of the draw. On the downside, the draws were balanced; sometimes it seemed like we needed to score, but we never got out of the match."

About the match: "My concern was playing an undisciplined match. If you don't have many chances, the draw was equal, and you had to look for a counter-attack. In the second half, we had good control over the opponent's field; if you don't score, you might end up facing penalties."

About the extra time: "We wanted to finish the match before penalties. Camavinga contributed significantly, as did Valverde in midfield. Tchouameni received a yellow card, which is why I substituted him. Ibrahim also contributed a lot. It's our team; we have problems; Mendy is injured too. But we continue to fight, as is customary in this club."

He concluded about why Rudiger took the fifth penalty: "We thought of Endrick first, but we believed Rudiger was calmer. We talked about it, and I didn't see Endrick ready or wanting to take it, so we let Toni Rudiger take it."