Madrid coach Ancelotti says Nacho was not thinking clearly after Girona red

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted after Saturday's 3-0 win in Girona that "defending well was decisive" as Los Blancos returned to the top of the LaLiga table.

"Winning here means that we have done well, because Girona play very good football. I want to highlight above all the team's defensive work, which was very good throughout the game," the Italian said.

In addition, he also spoke about Nacho's dismissal for a straight red card for a foul in stoppage time with the game decided which saw Girona's Portu taken to hospital.

"Nacho was not thinking clearly," Ancelotti said. "It could have been avoided, we're sorry and he has apologised. Hopefully it's not serious. He is very hurt and sad. Nobody should have any doubts about him. He is usually a player who does things right."

Ancelotti also revealed that Vinícius Júnior, starting for the first time after his injury, "wanted to play more, but I preferred to avoid problems. He played his game. He lacks a bit of spark because he hasn't played for a month, but the 70 minutes he played were good for him."

The Madrid boss explained that he put Jude Bellingham, scorer of the third and final goal, "a bit more on the outside to avoid defensive work for Vini."

"Bellingham played a bit more on the outside, but the defensive work of the team as a collective was good," he said.

He also revealed that he wanted to rest Ferland Mendy at left-back to avoid taking risks and that between the options of Fran García and Eduardo Camavinga, he opted for the latter because he "needed" a full-back with his characteristics "to try to press more after losing."