Jude Bellingham admits Real Madrid were far off their best but believes they can still stage a comeback against Arsenal
Jude Bellingham conceded Real Madrid were fortunate to only lose 3-0 against Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
The reigning champions have it all to do if they are to keep their latest title defence alive, following a commanding defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal scored three times in the space of 17 second-half minutes, as a pair of stunning Declan Rice free-kicks were followed by a neat first-time finish from Mikel Merino.
And Bellingham knows he and his team-mates must produce “something really special” to overturn their deficit in next week’s second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“We were nowhere near it,” he told Amazon Prime. “That’s the fact and Arsenal were really good. I know two of their goals were free-kicks, but they could have had way more.
“There is a second leg and that’s what we’re holding on to. We need something really special, something crazy really, but one place where crazy things happen is our house.
“[We have] 90 more minutes at home to pull something out of the bag.
“They’re two great pieces of individual quality and, if it wasn’t for them, they still had other chances. We got punished and that happens at top-level football.
“In these games, you need to create more. Very rarely do you come to a place like this, score one goal and take your lead back home. They reacted really well to the transition. We didn’t do enough on the ball to threaten.
“We’re still alive, we’ve got 90 minutes of football, and anything can happen at the Bernabeu.”
If Madrid are to progress to the semi-finals of the competition, they must overturn a three-goal first-leg deficit for the first time in their history.
But Carlo Ancelotti insists the tie is far from over.
“The result means that Arsenal were much better than us,” he said.
“The game was a bit different. For 60 minutes, the game was level, and then they shot two fantastic free-kicks. The game changes. Now, it will be very difficult in the second leg.
“There is always a first time [to overturn a three-goal first-leg deficit]. The only thing you can do together is to try, and we will try. The comeback starts tonight.”
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