Carlo Ancelotti said he was delighted to see his side progress to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey but warned his players the season will only get harder from here as they face tougher tests.
Goals from Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel di Maria gave Madrid a 2-0 win over Osasuna at the El Sadar stadium, and a 4-0 win overall – comfortably ensuring their progress to the next round.
For now, the focus switches back to La Liga, and having cut the gap on Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid to three points last weekend, Real will be keen to darw level with them this weekend if possible. With the Champions League set to resume next month as well, Los Blancos have many stern tests ahead.
Speaking at the press conference after the match, Ancelotti said: “The most difficult part is coming up and every match will be very important. We don’t always play fantastic football. We have a lot of matches coming up and to play well in every one of them is not easy, but the team is focused, working hard and keen to do well.”
He also praised Osasuna for making life difficult for Los Merengues, but said Ronaldo’s goal killed off their resistance.
“They tried to start the match with intensity and pressing hard up front, but after Ronaldo’s goal made it difficult for them. We controlled the match well from the start and the team was focused on the field. The match was not that difficult, mainly because we did a good job defensively,” he stated.
