Carlo Ancelotti has no doubts: the Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded on Monday, must go to Vinicius jr.: “It’s rare to see a player play a second half like Vinicius’. Goal aside, he put energy and intensity into it, with a extraordinary character. He will win the Ballon d’Or not thanks to tonight’s performance, but thanks to what he did last year,” he said after the 5-2 comeback against Borussia Dortmund.
How did you see the match?
“We lived it calmly, trying to think about what to change in the second half. In the first half we were timid, we didn’t apply pressure and we conceded two goals. It was quite clear what we had to do, it was the best second half of the season.”
What did you say during the break?
“I said we had to focus on the small details. Don’t miss passes, make good crosses, win duels. When you win duels, the dynamic of the match changes and so it did. The second half taught us a lot. It could be a key moment in the our season”.
Is Rodrygo injured?
“He has a muscle injury. He was spectacular until the third goal… It’s a shame, but that’s how it is.”
The updated Champions League standings
1. Aston Villa 9 (goal difference +6)*
2. Monaco 7 (r +5)*
3. Sporting 7 (dr +4)*
4. Arsenal 7 (dr +3)*
5. Borussia Dortmund 6 (dr +6)*
6. Brest 6 (dr +5)
7. Benfica 6 (dr +5)
8. Bayer Leverkusen 6 (dr +5)
9. Real Madrid 6 (dr +4)*
10. Liverpool 6 (dr +4)
11. Juventus 6 (dr +3)*
12. Manchester City 4 (dr +4)
13. Inter 4 (dr +4)
14. Sparta Prague 4 (dr +3)
15. Atalanta 4 (dr +3)
16. Stuttgart 4 (dr -1)*
17. PSG 4 (dr -1)*
18. Bayern Munich 3 (dr +6)
19. Barcelona 3 (dr +4)
20. Girona 3 (dr 0)*
21. Milan 3 (dr -1)*
22. Lille 3 (dr -1)
23. Celtic 3 (dr -2)
24. Feyenoord 3 (dr -3)
25. Atletico Madrid 3 (dr -3)
26. Brugge 3 (dr -4)*
27. PSV 2 (dr -2)*
28. Bologna 1 (dr -4)*
29. Shakhtar 1 (dr -4)*
30. Dinamo Zagreb 1 (dr -7)
31. Leipzig 0 (dr -2)
32. Sturm Graz 0 (dr -4)*
33. Salzburg 0 (dr -7)
34. Young Boys 0 (dr -8)
35. Red Star 0 (dr -9)*
36. Slovan Bratislava 0 (dr -10)*
* one more game