Athletic 0-2 Real: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti believes that Vinícius Júnior should be more protected by the arbitration. The Brazilian attacker regularly went to the ground in the away win over Athletic Bilbao, but did not always receive a free kick.
Real Madrid won the game in San Mamés on Sunday thanks to hits from Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos, where Vinícius completed the most dribbles of all players. The Brazil international was fouled six times, but none of those tackles resulted in a yellow card for a Bilbao player.
After the away win, Ancelotti stood up for Vinícius. Who himself got yellow and was taken to the side shortly afterwards. “I always tell Vinicius to keep playing his own game. He is a great player, but also a sensitive boy,” the Italian told Spanish media.
“Opponents, supporters of other clubs and referees show far too little respect for him. The truth is that he takes a lot of hits during matches. We have to take into account that Vinícius is also a young boy. I am a big fan of his and I think he deserves more respect,” he added.
Vinícius Júnior has eleven goals and five assists this season after 27 official games for Real Madrid. The twenty-time international came over from Flamengo in the summer of 2018 and still has a contract with Los Blancos until mid-2024.
The Spanish cup quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals of the Spanish cup tournament has produced a wonderful poster. Real Madrid will face Atlético Madrid at home. The draw concluded last week.
A Clásico was one of the possibilities, but it turned out to be a Madrid city derby. A meeting with Real Sociedad awaits Barcelona in its own Camp Nou.
The quarter-final matches will be one match and will be played on January 24, 25 and 26. Last season, the Copa del Rey was won by Real Betis, which has already been eliminated by Osasuna in the current tournament. That team will face Sevilla in the quarterfinals. The fourth and final quarter-final is between Valencia and Athletic Club.
