Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti has said FC Barcelona were not deserving winners in Thursday’s El Clásico clash.

Barcelona beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal on Thursday night.

Brazilian center-back Eder Militao scored an own goal to hand the Catalonia side their  99th El Clásico victory.

However, despite the loss at home, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti remained optimistic about his team’s performance.

“We played a good game; we played an intense game; we pressed high up the pitch. The fact that Barcelona had 34 percent of possession is a good thing. We played the game we wanted to play without scoring,” Ancelotti said.

The Madrid boss believes his team played well and that Barcelona did not deserve to win the match.

“We are satisfied with the game because it’s difficult to control the game against Barcelona. I don’t think they deserved to win; it’s quite obvious,” he said.

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He remains optimistic ahead of the reverse leg fixture in the Copa del Rey semi-final to be played at Camp Nou on March 19, 2023.

“If we have this intensity, we will have more chances because Barcelona can’t defend like that at Camp Nou. It was a bit strange to see Barcelona in a game like this. The players are pained by the result but have a lot of confidence for the second leg,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Ancelotti and his chargers will be shifting focus to La Liga action on Sunday as they face 5th-placed Real Betis.

Madrid are seven points behind Barcelona in the league standings with 15 matches still to play.