La Liga 2022-23: Real Madrid stunned by Rayo Vallecano; who does Carlo Ancelotti blame?

Defending champion Real Madrid suffered a shocking loss to eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano away from home in La Liga on Monday. A 2-3 defeat has plunged Los Blancos to second place in the title race, a couple of points behind arch-rival and Spanish giants Barcelona. For the visitors, Luka Modric (37) and Eder Militao (41) found the back of the net, but to no avail, as Oscar Trejo (67) scored the winner for the hosts. The winning goal came through a retaken penalty after Video Assistant Referee (VAR) punished Dani Carvajal for encroachment. Meanwhile, Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti blamed his side for the season's maiden failure, reports FotMob.

Analysing the defeat, Ancelotti assessed, "We knew they played like that. They were more forceful than us in the duels. It was a bad game, that's it. It cost us. We had to change our strategy, and we didn't. Then, we lost a lot in the duels when we could not be as forceful as our opponent. Vinicius [Junior] missed two or three shots that he normally scores. [Marco] Asensio has done well. It hasn't been a good game for us."

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On being questioned about VAR's decision to allow Los Franjirrojos to retake the penalty, Ancelotti responded, "I have no opinion, none. VAR is involved in these things. We lacked freshness, and it's normal after so many games. We have to evaluate this first part of the season. We've done well. We're in the [UEFA] Champions League last 16 [pre-quarters], and we're doing well in La Liga."