Carlo Ancelotti, coach of Real Madrid, gestured and spoke up to Brazilian player Rodrygo for not greeting him when he was substituted in the 56th minute, when the team was losing 2-0 against Villareal in the Copa del Rey round of 16.
"Rodrygo's substitution was due to a muscle strain he had since half time, and I preferred not to take any risks. He didn't greet me because I think he forgot, but it doesn't change anything for me," said the Italian coach in a press conference after the match.
Look: footage from the TVE broadcast of #RealMadrid vs Villarreal shows how Carlo Ancelotti seems to be calling Rodrygo's attention with a raised finger, after the Brazilian player was substituted. ????????️???? #CopaDelRey pic.twitter.com/RcKpwB9ma8
Rodrygo returned to the starting lineup in this match, after coming off the bench in half of the games that Real Madrid has played this year, including the Spanish Super Cup final and the classic against Barcelona in Riyadh.
With goals from Vinicius Jr, Eder Militao, and Dani Ceballos, who came on as a substitute in the second half, Real Madrid managed to turn the match around and advance to the next phase of the Copa del Rey.
The Madrid team will find out their quarterfinal opponent on Friday, after a draw among the 8 qualified teams, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla, Osasuna, Real Sociedad, and Athletic Bilbao.
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