Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti admits his team “have to be worried” after suffering a second consecutive home defeat, this time a 3-1 loss to AC Milan in the Champions League. With only six points from their first four European games, Madrid’s Champions League campaign now hangs in the balance, as does their La Liga title defense following a humbling 4-0 El Clasico defeat to Barcelona. The latest slip-up leaves Madrid nine points behind their archrivals in the league.
The Santiago Bernabeu witnessed another frustrating night, as Milan—led by Paulo Fonseca—clinched a deserved victory. Milan’s Malick Thiaw opened the scoring with a powerful header from a Christian Pulisic corner in the 12th minute. Madrid quickly equalized through a Vinicius Junior penalty after the Brazilian was fouled by Emerson Royal. Vinicius, playing his first game since boycotting the Ballon d’Or ceremony with the club, calmly chipped Mike Maignan from the spot and celebrated by kissing the Madrid badge.
But Madrid’s defense faltered again six minutes before halftime when Alvaro Morata, a former Real player, pounced on a loose ball after Andriy Lunin saved Rafael Leao’s shot. Morata’s strike restored Milan’s lead, and the home crowd’s frustrations deepened as star forward Kylian Mbappe continued to struggle in a central role, a position he’s been forced into by Ancelotti to accommodate Vinicius on the left. Mbappe’s impact has waned, with just one goal in his last six games.
Ancelotti’s concerns were compounded in the second half when Milan’s midfield duo of Tijjani Reijnders and Yunus Musah outplayed Madrid’s celebrated midfield. Reijnders scored Milan’s third goal in the 73rd minute, racing into the box and smashing the ball past Lunin. Jude Bellingham, who had a quiet night, showed his frustration as he was substituted shortly after the goal.
The defeat marks Madrid’s first match since the Clasico loss, as their weekend fixture with Valencia was postponed due to flooding in Spain. In a show of solidarity, both Madrid and Milan players wore T-shirts reading “We are all Valencia” before kickoff.
Despite a late surge and an Antonio Rudiger strike ruled out by VAR, Madrid couldn’t overturn the deficit, leaving Ancelotti with urgent issues to address. “We need to be more compact and organized,” he said post-match. “We’ve conceded too many goals. We have work to do.”
Paulo Fonseca praised his Milan side for their courage and teamwork, saying, “The players came here with no fear. We definitely deserved to win.”
As Madrid’s season begins to show cracks, their focus will now turn to regrouping ahead of their next La Liga clash, where they’ll need to rediscover their form to stay in contention domestically and in Europe.
