Thanks to Joselu: Real keeps a clean slate ahead of the duel with Union Berlin

Ancelotti praises Espanyol loan

Real Madrid kept its clean slate before the start of the Champions League against debutants 1. FC Union Berlin in the Spanish championship. Thanks to former Bundesliga player Joselu’s goal in the 60th minute, the league leaders achieved a 2-1 (0-1) win against Real Sociedad San Sebastián on Sunday evening and their fifth win in their fifth game of the season.

Federico Valverde (46th) had previously equalized the 0-1 half-time deficit shortly after the start of the second half, after Ander Barrenetxea (5th) had given the guests an early lead.

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti commented after the game (quoted via “Real Total”): “We have to evaluate it, out of five games we conceded goals right at the start in three of them. The good thing is that we were able to catch up, the bad thing is that we simply have to prevent something like that. It’s much harder to get into the game, to get the dominance back, especially when you’re playing against a good opponent like today. We did it today because we brought in a lot of energy and will. That’s something we’ve done consistently in all these games. At the moment we are able to bring an intensity into the game that the opponent cannot withstand for 90 minutes.”

Real coach Ancelotti praises Joselu: “Fantastic header quality”

About former Hanoverian Joselu, whom Real signed on a season-long loan from Espanyol in the summer and who scored his second goal in a row, the Italian said: “What he contributes is a guarantee up front. He plays very well with his back to the goal and also the other way around. He is very dangerous in the opponent’s penalty area and has fantastic heading ability. For us he is a guarantee, we know exactly what he can do for us in games like this.”

The 33-year-old, whose market value in the Royal squad is only undercut by substitute keeper Andriy Lunin, plays an important role in the team structure, Ancelotti continued:

“He has a very important role because we don’t have anyone with his characteristics up front. That’s why he’s very important for us in some games because he’s present in the penalty area. I don’t think his goals in the last two games were a fluke. In recent years we haven’t had something like that, someone in the center who then scores a header. With Joselu we have one more option.”

Real welcomes 1. FC Union on Wednesday. Coach Urs Fischer’s team botched its dress rehearsal on Saturday with a 1-2 defeat at VfL Wolfsburg.

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