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Speculation surrounding the future of Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid will increase after one of the club’s directors, Emilio Butragueno, failed to back him following the elimination from the Champions League.

A 1-1 draw at home to Juventus saw Los Blancos crash out at the semi-final stage after they failed to overturn the 2-1 deficit they faced following the first leg.

At his press conference after the game, Ancelotti said he would like to stay at the club beyond this year, but admitted the decision was out of his hands.

When press on the manager’s future, Butragueno refused to be drawn on the issue, saying the team has to focus on its remaining two games in the league.

Today we have to be together. We all win and we all lose. The feeling of sadness is a general one. We congratulate Juventus for the way they played the tie. We have two league games left and now we have to concentrate on that,” he commented.

When asked again later in the interview with Canal+ what the future holds for Ancelotti, Butragueno said: “Tonight we have lost and that is the important thing at the moment,” he said. “We are all sad and everything else is secondary. We felt we had the opportunity to get to the final. The atmosphere was sensational but it didn’t work out as we had wanted.

“We deserved more. After all that effort, scoring only once leaves you cold. We haven’t had luck lately but, when you give everything, there can be no reproach. The players gave everything and I would also like to thank the fans for their support.”

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Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has said he will become a better player for having to deal with the criticism from media and fans this season.

The Welshman has been on end of some fairly harsh stuff from the press and has taken the brunt of the fans’ anger at some disappointing results this season. Once again, he was singled out for criticism by fans during the 1-1 draw with Juventus on Wednesday, a result that saw Los Blancos eliminated 3-2 overall.

Speaking after the game, the 25-year-old, who has actually scored more and provided the same number of assists as Eden Hazard – a player Real fans have called on the club to sign – said he would come back stronger.

“There have been some ups and downs but I think I’ve played well. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger and I’ll learn from this season and take it on.”

He added: “I’ve maybe not scored as many important chances as I’d like but my general play has been good. My finishing is not as good and that’s something to work on for next year.

“We wanted to be in the Champions League final, we gave ourselves a chance of winning but it’s not to be and we go again next year.”

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Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata has said he wishes he had scored against another team and not Real Madrid having knocked them out of the Champions League with Juventus.

The young striker moved to the Seria A champions last summer in search of regular first team football. And over the two-legged semi-final tie, the Spaniard netted twice, opening the scoring in the first leg in Turin, and grabbing the equaliser for the Old Lady on Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu – the goal that clinched their ticket to the final in Berlin.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Morata said it was a strange feeling to score for another team at the Bernabeu and he didn’t want to celebrate.

“I didn’t celebrate the goal, I was never going to. It was a bittersweet and strange sensation for me. These two games have been difficult for me. I want to thank the Madrid fans, I wish I had scored against another team.”

Having qualified for the final, Morata could become one of a handful of players to have won back-to-back Champions League trophies with different clubs. That list includes, Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa and Samuel Eto’o. And the 21-year-old told reporters Juve have worked so hard to get there, they will now give it everything to beat Barcelona.

“We have fought so hard to get here, but this does not end here. We want to win the final and make history, but we’re very happy. My former team-mates want us to win and they wished me the best. Just like in Turin, it was hard for me at times tonight but I had to focus my head quickly. That’s what football is like.”

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Daniel Carvajal

Real Madrid right back Daniel Carvajal has promised the fans they players will learn from this year’s disappointments and come back stronger next season.

Los Blancos were eliminated from the Champions League at the semi-final stage against Juventus after a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu. The 2014 champions needed to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg, and all appeared to be going well when Cristiano Ronaldo gave the hosts the lead.

But former Los Blancos forward Alvaro Morata equalised just before the hour to put the visitors ahead overall again. Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema both missed good chances but the Italians held on to reach the final in Berlin where they will meet Barcelona.

The elimination completes a disappointing week for Real, who drew with Valencia at the weekend, a  result that all but ends their hopes of winning the title.

Speaking to journalists afterwards, Carvajal thanks the fans for their support, and said the team would come back stronger next year.

“We want to send a message of support to the fans. We will return stronger next year. We want to thank them for tonight, from the moment we arrived in the stadium. We battled, we tried everything and it wasn’t to be.

“Juve closed down well after the goal, we had several clear chances but we are left wishing we could have reached the Champions League final,” he commented.

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Marcelo says the Real Madrid players will give their all in the final two league games in the faint hope that they can still win La Liga.

After the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend that effectively ended their hopes of winning the title (Barcelona are now four points clear with two games to go), Real’s disappointing week continued on Wednesday when they drew 1-1 with Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu – but lost 3-2 overall in the Champions League.

It looks like Los Blancos will end the season without lifting any major honours despite going on a 22-game winning run in the autumn. The did lift the European Super Cup and the World Club cup – competitions they qualified for as a result of last season’s success.

Speaking after their elimination, Marcelo said Real players must always fight in every game and will give their all in the last two games of the season.

“We gave everything and we fought to try and go through. We are sad. I want to thank the fans who supported us to the end. I don’t think we failed, we gave everything and the ball wouldn’t go in. We had a lot of chances and perhaps we were not as patient as we should have been,” he said.

And he added: “Madrid always fight for everything and this season we are no longer going to be able to fight for two titles. La Liga is very difficult but not impossible. We are going to fight and try to win the last two games and see what happens.”

The left back also called on the club to stick with Carlo Ancelotti, who he described as a ‘winner’. “The manager is a winner. This year we have not been able to win two titles but I think that Ancelotti will stay on because he is a great manager.”

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Iker Casillas

Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Francisco ‘Paco’ Buyo has backed his fellow custodian to win back the support of the Los Blancos fans.

The club captain was target of abuse and jeering from some fans at the weekend as he was blamed for the two goals conceded in the draw with Valencia that saw Real’s title hopes come to an end.

Fed up with the boo boys, Casillas made a gesture towards them that was caught by the television cameras.

Speaking to Goal.com, Buyo, who won six titles in 11 seasons with Madrid, said many great players including the likes of Zinedine ZIdane and Michel have been booed by the fans. He added it’s up to Casillas to win them over again.

“The Santiago Bernabeu is a demanding stadium and the public demands a lot, but they are great supporters. They are loyal and in the great moments they support the great players. They have sometimes whistled fantastic players. Iker is one of the symbols of Real Madrid and when the fans whistle him, it’s up to Casillas to reverse the situation and improve,” he stated.

He added: “The fans show their dissatisfaction by booing. Fortunately, it never happened to me. But it happened to Zinedine Zidane, Míchel, Bernd Schuster and Martin Vazquez – they were all great players and Real Madrid icons but they won the fans back. You need to work hard and show again that you’re number one.”

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti would like to stay at the club but has admitted the decision is out of his hands after watching his side get knocked out of the Champions League.

Los Blancos needed to beat Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu to stand any chance of qualifying for the final in Berlin but could only manage a 1-1 draw – Alvaro Morata coming back to haunt his former club.

It comes just days after a home draw with Valencia in La Liga all but ended Real’s chances of winning the league too, with rivals Barcelona four points clear with two games to play.

Asked about what the future holds for him at his press conference after the game, the Italian stated: “We have to finish off the season well and after that we’ll talk. If the club are happy with the job I’ve done we can continue, and if they aren’t happy they have to make a decision. I would like to stay here. I know how things work in football and the club are within their rights to change coach if they aren’t happy.”

About the match itself, Ancelotti said he couldn’t fault his players for their fighting spirit and determination.

“We gave everything we had to win this game. We fought, worked hard and played well. We had a lot of opportunities and I have nothing to reproach my team for. We’re sad about the result but we have to look ahead to the next two games.

“What I’ve seen in the last two games on a physical level, above all in the second half, is that the team have given a lot physically because they have had to come from behind. Tonight we had a lot of shots, but few on target. With a little bit more freshness it’s possible that we would have been a bit more clinical.”

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Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos says the Real Madrid players are hurting having been knocked out of the Champions League by Juventus.

Needing to overcome a 2-1 deficit, Real were looking good after Cristiano Ronaldo gave them a first half lead. But former Los Blancos forward Alvaro Morata broke Real hearts with his 57th minute equaliser, which saw the Old Lady go through 3-2 overall. They will meet Barcelona in the final in Berlin next month.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Ramos said the players gave it their all but lost to the better team over two games.

“The team always fights to improve and win, and today we say goodbye to the chance of reaching another final. We were favourites to regain the title. Juve have shown they deserve to be in the final and we didn’t take our chances.

“They went through because they did things better. We played two games and we had chances in the first half to increase the lead. We were unable to take advantage and when you lack accuracy in front of goal you end up paying for it,” he said.

He added: “After a great game where we created a lot of clear chances, it is painful to be eliminated. The team did everything they could in this game.”

The centre back went on praise the Madrid support for creating a special atmosphere at the Bernabeu, commenting: “Once again today you could feel the great atmosphere. We go away feeling grateful and indebted for having been eliminated when we had passage through to the final in Berlin. They raised us up and encouraged us until the very last second. The reception upon our arrival at the stadium was impressive.”

And he had words of praise for Alvaro Morata, who showed how determined he was to reach the final with his new side.

“In the history of football there are other cases like that, like Morata or Morientes back in the day. I was not hoping he would have his best game here, but football presents these opportunities. He is a young guy who grew up here, he is a Madrid fan but he also wanted to be in Berlin.”

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Real Madrid will not lift their second Champions League in a row as they failed to beat Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos fought hard, but they didn’t play well and missed too many chances.

Cristiano Ronaldo gave the hosts the lead as he converted a penalty kick and Real had plenty of opportunities to make it 2-0 in the first half. However, after the break, Alvaro Morata scored again against his former team-mates and Los Blancos were unable to score one more to bring it to extra-time.

Juve were very intense at the start and exerted a high pressure on Los Merengues midfielders. However, the hosts were given a big chance as the referee conceded a penalty when James Rodriguez was taken down inside the box by Giorgio Chiellini. Ronaldo fired straight down the middle to make it 1-0.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side improved after scoring the goal and started threatening Gianluigi Buffon. Karim Benzema could have made it 2-0 with a brilliant header, but the Italian goalkeeper denied his effort.

Ronaldo also came close to scoring a second after collecting a wonderful through pass from Gareth Bale, but the Portuguese’s effort smashed into the side netting. One minute later Buffon denied Benzema again as the Frenchman sent a low strike.

Real started the second half too relaxed, as if the result was enough for them. And they suffered a big blow when Morata fired from close range following a Sergio Ramos mistake and put the away side on level terms.

Los Blancos started to get desperate after this goal. They put all their hearts in attack, but were unlucky in the last third.

Bale had a terrible night and he missed three clear chances. For three occasions he received a cross inside the box and sent the ball wide of the post.

James Rodriguez also had a big chance as he sent a superb shot from the edge of the box but it just swerved over the crossbar.

Real fought until the last minutes and continued to deliver into the Juve box, but the visitors defended well and ended up earning a historic draw for them, and qualifying for the final.

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Carlo Ancelotti says his Real Madrid players are raring to go and determined to reach another Champions League final.

Los Blancos must overturn a 2-1 deficit against Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu this evening if they are to reach the final in Berlin, where they would face fierce rivals Barcelona, who knocked out Bayern Munich last night.

At his press conference ahead of the game, the boss told reporters the players know they are in a pivotal moment in the season and want to reach the final and become the first team to retain the Champions League.

He stated: “The team look focused, up for it and raring to put in a great semi-final to have the chance to play in the final again. It’s an important moment of the season, because we’re very close to playing in another final and going down in the history of the competition. We know that it’ll be difficult, but we we’re out to do everything we can to win.

“All Madridistas will be together as one against Juve. The fans have helped us in a lot of situations, such as against Atlético and Bayern. Tomorrow will be the same. In the recent games against Valencia and Sevilla we played well, but we lacked concentration in terms of the small details. Tomorrow we have to avoid that, be patient and play with a higher level of intensity than in the first leg.”

Speaking about the opponents, he claimed Juventus wouldn’t change their game style because the hold a lead.

“They have their style of play and their identity. I don’t think that they’ll change that for this game. They have a one-goal lead and they’re a team who are used to playing together, whether with three central defenders or with four at the back. Our idea is clear and we’re focused on that, however they play.”

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