Carlo Ancelotti may have left the Stamford Bridge more than satisfied as Real Madrid took another huge step in Europe by claiming a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the first leg of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
Karim Benzema took all the spotlight again as, like he did in the round of 16 to turn things around against Paris Saint-Germain, he bagged another hat-trick to make it eleven trebles in his fantastic career.
Despite the Merengues' comfortable triumph, the Italian manager may return home feeling pain - not metaphorically, it has nothing to do with the result. Ancelotti was hit during the game by one of his own when Federico Valverde was challenging for a ball.
Watch: Carlo Ancelotti gets hit by Federico Valverde during Chelsea-Real Madrid clash
In an attempt to win an aerial ball against Cesar Azpilicueta, Federico Valverde ended on the touchline and accidentally hit Ancelotti, who was seen in pain after the knock despite he didn't fell to the ground. The game continued as normal, however, and Carletto stayed on the dugout without any problem.
The Uruguayan midfielder was susprisingly included in the starting eleven after seeing many games from the bench. "We played a 433 tonight with Valverde to help Carvajal. And Fede did very well," Ancelotti explained, per MadridXtra on Twitter.
Valverde was subbed off after 86 minutes along Man of the Match Benzema, but it had nothing to do with the previous, accidental crash. "I changed Valverde and Benzema because they were tired," Carletto said.
Fans on social media joked about the accident, hilariously suggesting that Valverde didn't like being sent to the bench so many times or that Ancelotti will now remove him from the lineup. But seriously speaking, the Uruguay international rose to the occasion and showed he can be trusted for the big games.
