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Following Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Union Berlin in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) at Olympiastadion Berlin on Wednesday, Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti said that they have played with consistency on the group stage.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ancelotti said that they have improved their quality of playing. He added that they need to keep possession when the team is in the lead. "You can't fault our group stage. We've done really well, we've played with consistency and the quality of play has improved compared to the start of the season. The only drawback in the last two games is that we didn't manage the lead well: not today with a 1-2 lead nor against Betis with a 0-1 lead. We have to maintain good possession when we're in the lead, but that's not enough: we have to finish it," Ancelotti said as quoted by Real Madrid's official website. Talking about the importance of the game, he pointed out Ceballos' goal in the second half which helped them to clinch the three points. The Italian coach also heaped praise on Joselu and said that he performed well in the game. "The positive thing about that game is that Ceballos scored an important goal for him and for us. He also played a complete game. Joselu displayed his quality, he's a great finisher in the box and sometimes we have to exploit that more, as we did in the second half. In the first half, we played very good football, but we didn't utilise Joselu very much. He got a shot off in the first half and in the second half he scored two goals. The injury problem has given opportunities to those who play less and they're taking advantage of it quite well," he added. When asked about Jude Bellingham, he added that there was no risk with the Englishman's performance against Union Berlin. He further added that Bellingham has been doing well with his physical condition. "He got a stupid yellow card, but he's doing very well and is in top physical condition. There was no risk in this game. The only change that was prepared was Kroos and Valverde because they were a bit tired and I didn't want to give them too many minutes. The others were fine," he added. In their previous five matches, Real won four games and drew one. They move on to the knockout stage of the UCL after finishing at the top of the Group C standings with 18 points. (ANI)
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