Carlo Ancelotti has said his Real Madrid side paid for their defensive mistakes against Atletico de Madrid but his players can hold their heads high for their fighting spirit shown.

Los Blancos were knocked out of the Copa del Rey after losing 4-2 on aggregate against their local rivals. They went into the game at the Santiago Bernabeu with a mountain to climb having lost 2-0 last week in the first leg. And that mountain became Everest in size after Fernando Torres netted after just one minute to give the visitors the lead on the night.

Sergio Ramos equalised for the hosts, before Torres added a second early in the second half. Cristiano Ronaldo once again netted for Madrid to level, but generally Diego Simeone’s men looked comfortable on the night.

At his press conference afterwards, Ancelotti said his side made basic errors early in both halves.

“The mistakes we made, bringing the ball out from the back, we paid very dearly for.  [But] I am delighted with the way team played in the first half, it is impossible to play better. It was very difficult going behind so early, but we fronted up and played very, very well,” he said.

“It is the first time we have made these type of mistakes, and I do not think they will happen again. The team usually plays out from the back with a lot of quality. We cannot forget the other part of the game, for one hour we played, in my opinion, spectacularly,” he added.

He also went on to say that he doesn’t think his team has a mental block against Atletico – they just haven’t found a way to beat them yet. The two teams have met five times since last year’s Champions League final, with Los Rojiblancos winning three and drawing two.

“The way to beat them we found last year, but not yet this year,” he said. “We still have one game to play. But this is not so important. In La Liga we have an advantage over Atletico. We know Atletico are a very strong team, and we will set out to play in a better way the next time we meet.”

Carlo Ancelotti says Los Blancos will be playing the toughest team in Europe this evening as they seek to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Atletico de Madrid in the Copa del Rey.

Diego Simeone’s side have proved to be a hard team to break down in recent years, and much of their success has been built on having a solid defensive unit.

Real, who won the Copa del Rey last season, will have all of their big guns available up front with Cristiano Ronaldo’s confidence boosted having won the Ballon d’Or on Monday night.

But speaking to the press ahead of the game, Ancelotti said this is his side’s biggest test of the season to date.

“Atletico are the toughest opposition out there and it’s not just me that thinks that. Everyone in Europe feels the same. We know how we need to play against them. We must show intensity while keeping cool heads and have 90 minutes to get a result, so we’ve no need to rush things,” he said.

“Facing us is the best-organised team in Europe and we need to get our passing right. It has to be intense, although I don’t mean we must go in hard. It will be evenly matched as it always is.”

He also called on the Real Madrid fans to do their part and back their team 100% of the way.

“I think the fans can help us. Firstly, because it’s a derby, as it’s very important to them as well, but also because we have to come back from a difficult scoreline. It’ll be a fantastic atmosphere to play in and we are looking forward to putting in a good performance and making it through to the quarter-finals.”