Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed his satisfaction with his team’s resilience following their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash at the Bernabéu on Tuesday.

Brahim Diaz netted the decisive second-half goal after Julian Alvarez had canceled out Rodrygo’s early opener. Despite missed chances from Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe that could have given Madrid a greater advantage heading into the second leg, Ancelotti chose to focus on the positives.

The Italian coach emphasized the importance of securing a win against one of Europe’s strongest sides this season, acknowledging that even greater effort will be required in the return leg to ensure progress in their title defense.

“These are tight games, it’s the Champions League Round of 16, but it could just as easily be a final or semifinal,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference. “Atletico are among the top teams in Europe, and you can’t expect to settle the tie in the first leg.”

“We’ve secured a slight advantage, which gives us confidence, but that’s all. It was a tough game, as it always is against Atleti. In the first half, we made too many mistakes and lost possession unnecessarily, which nearly cost us. They equalized through Julian Alvarez, but we improved in the second half and took our opportunity.”

Although both Mbappe and Vinicius had quiet nights, Ancelotti credited Atletico’s defensive setup for limiting their impact rather than criticizing his own players.

“Facing Atletico’s defense is never easy,” he noted. “We didn’t create many chances, and both of them worked hard and fought for the team.”

“They weren’t able to fully showcase their quality tonight, but they’ll have another chance in the second leg.”

The winner of the tie will likely face Arsenal in the quarterfinals, with the Premier League side in a commanding position following their 7-1 demolition of PSV Eindhoven in their first-leg encounter.