Ancelotti says Madrid future will soon become clear after Copa heartbreak – Soccer News

Carlo Ancelotti said it was not the time to discuss his Real Madrid future after their agonising defeat to Clasico rivals Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.

Madrid fought their way back into Saturday’s showpiece having been 1-0 down at half-time, with a Kylian Mbappe free-kick and an Aurelian Tchouameni header putting them 2-1 up.

But Ferran Torres latched onto Lamine Yamal’s brilliant pass to level in the 84th minute, and after Barcelona had a penalty overturned at the death, the game went to extra time.

Jules Kounde proved to be the hero with his 116th-minute drive capturing Barca’s 32nd Copa triumph, and the final whistle saw chaotic scenes as Antonio Rudiger – who had been substituted by Ancelotti – was dismissed for appearing to throw an object at referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea.

Lucas Vasquez and Jude Bellingham were also shown red cards after the full-time whistle, as Madrid’s best chance of salvaging silverware from a dire season evaporated.

Now facing an uphill task to defend their title in LaLiga, where they trail Barca by four points, Madrid are widely expected to part company with Ancelotti.

Asked about his future, the Italian – who has again been linked with the Brazil national team – said: “I can go on, I can stop, but it will be an issue for the next few weeks, not for today.”

Thank you for all the support, Madridistas. pic.twitter.com/R9FWxCLSaz

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) April 26, 2025

Ancelotti added: “We have competed and we will also compete at Barcelona in the upcoming league game [on May 11]. We will compete like we did tonight.

“We have to keep competing for the league title. We played a level game and were very close to lifting the cup.

“I’m hurt for not being able to lift the cup, but I have nothing to reproach my players for, because we played the game we had to play.”

Madrid have lost three straight games against Barcelona this season, also going down 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in LaLiga and 5-2 in the Supercopa de Espana.

That means Hansi Flick is the first Blaugrana coach to win his first three Clasicos since Pep Guardiola (first five).

3 -Hansi Flick has won each of his first three games against Real Madrid as @FCBarcelona coach, including all competitions, making him only the second Barcelona coach in history to win his first three such games, after Pep Guardiola (five). Top. pic.twitter.com/fuiWBgHCGv

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 26, 2025

“We were close to winning and we conceded a strange goal from a ball over the back of the defence, but against Barca it can happen,” Ancelotti continued.

“We tried until the end, we came close. The second half was very good, but that’s football. The match was evenly balanced. Barca were better in the first half, we were better in the second.

“There is nothing bad to say about the team, who fought really hard. We competed very well. If we had won, it wouldn’t have been a scandal. We did great until we were shocked late on.”