Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti commented on Vinicius Jr.'s penalty miss during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg clash against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, while also shedding light on his decision to substitute the Brazilian forward in extra time. The miss came in the second half at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, where Vinicius failed to convert a penalty earned by teammate Kylian Mbappe. Despite the setback, Ancelotti’s squad triumphed over Atletico, securing a 4-2 victory in the penalty shootout after a 2-2 aggregate draw.

In his post-match interview, Ancelotti addressed the incident: “We had already decided that Vini Jr. would take the penalty, but unfortunately, he couldn’t score. He wasn’t slated to take one in the shootout anyway, and he asked to be subbed off because he was exhausted.” Real Madrid now advances to the quarter-finals, where they will face Arsenal in April. Up next, Los Blancos will take on Villarreal in LaLiga action this Saturday.