Julian Nagelsmann has elected against discussing Germany's poor World Cup with his Bayern Munich players.

Seven Bayern players featured in Germany's World Cup squad, as Hansi Flick's side failed to progress from the group stage in Qatar.

A defeat to Japan in their Group E opener was followed by a 1-1 draw with Spain, and a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica was not enough to send Germany through.

It is the second successive World Cup that Germany have failed to make the knockout stage, but Nagelsmann – who succeeded Flick at Bayern and has taken his squad to Doha for a training camp – does not believe it is his job to discuss the tournament with his players.

""I thought a lot about how we would address it during the break. I decided on very little," he told reporters.

"The players have the opportunity to come to me. I deliberately left them alone.

"I'm not much of a comforter. It's always a matter of choice. I can talk for half an hour about the bad, sad World Cup. Or I just leave it out.

"Focus on what they can influence – in the present and in the future. I tried to limit myself to that."

Indeed, Nagelsmann hopes the Bayern players instead turn their disappointment into motivation for the rest of the season.

"I can imagine what it means when you are eliminated from a World Cup," he said.

"But sometimes it's night, then it's usually day again. It's day now and there's a lot of light.

"You have it in your own hands to be more successful than you were at the World Cup.

"We, as the coaching staff, need to create the foundation for the players to perform at their best.

"Frustration and disappointment can also be the biggest motivating factor. I sense they are in a good place, they're training well and are fit."

While Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich and the rest of Bayern's Germany players endured a difficult World Cup, Dayot Upamecano established himself as a key part of France's defence.

Upamecano made a spectacular block as France drew 3-3 with Argentina in a thrilling final, only for Les Bleus to lose on penalties, but Nagelsmann has been impressed with the 24-year-old's development over the course of the campaign.

"Upamecano has been solid, as he was in the first half of the season, when he developed well," Nagelsmann said.

"He was also on top form in training. He had a good World Cup and he was one of the best defenders. We need him in top form."

Chelsea's struggles and riches mean they are going to be busy during the January transfer window.

The Blues, who face Manchester City in the FA Cup on Sunday, are currently 10th in the Premier League as they continue to adjust to head coach Graham Potter.

Chelsea have already signed Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos this month, while also being heavily linked with Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez, but they may have another World Cup finalist in their sights.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA KEEN ON THURAM IN JANUARY

Chelsea have commenced discussions with Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach about a move for French forward Marcus Thuram, reports Fabrizio Romano.

Thuram's Gladbach contract expires at the end of this season and he is not planning on extending the deal.

Chelsea and Gladbach will hold further talks in the coming days to discuss conditions and a price tag for the 25-year-old in January.

ROUND-UP

– Negotiations between Atletico Madrid and Manchester United on a Joao Felix loan deal are ramping up, with the Spanish club demanding a £9.5million (€10.8m) loan fee and a commitment to buy for £70m (€79.4m), according to the Sunday Mirror.

– FootMercato claims Manchester United are exploring a deal to sign Wout Weghorst on loan. The 30-year-old Dutch striker is currently on loan at Besiktas from Burnley, with an £8.8m (€10m) buy option in the deal.

– Tottenham are interested in signing Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford as a long-term replacement for veteran Hugo Lloris, claims the Sunday Mirror.

– Napoli have made an opening bid worth €15m plus add-ons for Azzedine Ounahi from French club Angers, claims 90min. Ounahi impressed with Morocco at the World Cup and has also been linked with Leicester City .

– The Sun reports that Crystal Palace will rival Everton in pursuit of Aston Villa striker Danny Ings in January.

– Arsenal are monitoring Tammy Abraham's situation at Roma, claims La Repubblica.

– The Athletic reports that ex-Everton and Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has a verbal agreement to take over as Portugal head coach.

Julen Lopetegui described Wolves' disallowed goal in their FA Cup clash with Liverpool as "impossible" after they played out a 2-2 third-round draw at Anfield.

Goals for Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-chan came either side of finishes for Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah in a chaotic encounter on Merseyside.

But the visitors saw a late winner struck off for Tote Gomes, after a linesman's call deemed the corner taker to be offside in the build-up.

VAR was unable to get a suitable angle to overturn the decision and therefore let it stand, in a call that infuriated Lopetegui, who made his frustration clear afterwards.

"We have seen it, and the offside doesn't exist," he told ITV. "It's impossible, but someone has told him that it is offside. We have seen the image, and it doesn't exist.

"The decision is wrong. I make mistakes every day, and sometimes they do too. Today we have the help of VAR, and it is a pity, because I'm sorry, it's not offside."

Lopetegui was complimentary towards referee Andy Madley, telling BBC's Match of the Day he was "very polite" when he and captain Bruno Neves took the decision up after the final whistle.

"That is a good thing for me, that is not usual in Spain," he added "I love talking, only to show him the offside doesn't exist. It is very clear."

The call to cancel out the goal rankled harder for Lopetegui after Salah was effectively played onside for his own strike by a botched clearance attempt by Tote Gomes earlier on.

Lopetegui sought to draw a line under it however, adding to ITV: "It has happened now. We have to accept it. It is a pity because deserved to win against a fantastic team like Liverpool."

Simone Inzaghi was left "very angry" after Inter had a third goal chalked off before conceding a late equaliser against Monza in their 2-2 draw on Saturday.

After Matteo Darmian's early opener was pegged back by Patrick Ciurria, Lautaro Martinez seized upon a Pablo Mari error to put Inter back ahead and seemingly on course for victory.

But with the score 2-1, referee Juan Luca Sacchi blew for a foul as a free-kick was swung into the Monza box, which Francesco Acerbi nodded in, for a contentious Roberto Gagliardini push.

With a goal that likely would have killed the game off ruled out, Inter suffered late heartbreak as Luca Caldirola scored in the 93rd minute to snatch a point for Raffaele Palladino's side and deny the Nerazzurri a fourth straight Serie A victory.

Inzaghi was fuming after the match, believing the referee's early whistle cost his side all three points as they missed the chance to move within five points of leaders Napoli, ahead of the Partenopei's visit to Sampdoria on Sunday.

"I'm very angry at what I saw," Inzaghi told reporters. "Unfortunately, after five years of VAR, there was an error that penalised us.

"A clear mistake on Acerbi's goal, there are two Monza players who fell between them. It's a huge disappointment on our part.

"I complimented Palladino, [but] without that mistake we would have won the match."

Romelu Lukaku impressed for Inter as they ended Napoli's unbeaten start to the season on Wednesday, but Inzaghi opted to start Martinez alongside Edin Dzeko up top against Monza, over the Belgium international.

With Lukaku struggling for fitness, Inzaghi is unsure when the striker will be back to his best, saying: "Time will tell, he's training in the best possible way.

"He had a very good first half with Napoli, today it was difficult. We'll do the analysis tomorrow when we'll be more rested."

Asked whether he felt Inter sat back too much late in the game, inviting Monza on, Inzaghi replied: "In the first half we conceded little or nothing.

"There are always difficult opponents, Monza are organised and have excellent players.

"Without what we've seen [Acerbi's disallowed goal], there wouldn't have been this question.

"Now we start again. It's normal that there is huge disappointment on everyone's part."

Eddie Howe labelled Newcastle United's latest FA Cup failure "a huge disappointment" after third-tier Sheffield Wednesday shocked the Premier League high-flyers.

Head coach Howe has taken Newcastle into the Champions League places after huge investment at St James' Park, but the Magpies were knocked out of their stride at Hillsborough.

Josh Windass scored twice to put Wednesday two goals to the good, and although Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes pulled one back, the Owls hung on for a 2-1 victory.

The result means that for a third season in a row, Newcastle have failed to get past the third round of the FA Cup, while Wednesday become the first team to beat them since Liverpool on August 31.

Newcastle lost at this stage of the cup to Arsenal in 2021, before being victims of a giant-killing when they slipped up at home to Cambridge United last season.

Howe made passing reference to having wanted to atone for the Cambridge defeat, and questioned the finishing of his players, who had 22 shots to Wednesday's nine but could not make them count.

Howe told NUFC TV: "It was a tough night for us, a really difficult game. We knew it was going to be. We created enough chances to win. I thought we had some really presentable moments. We didn't take them.

"Once they got their noses in front, it's very difficult to come back. We tried our best to do that and right to the end we were pushing, but it wasn't to be."

Howe gave League One outfit Wednesday "a lot of credit" for pulling off the upset, with the lack of precision finishing from Newcastle, who sit third in the Premier League, proving costly.

"Bruno scored, and we had numerous chances and players in positions where you'd expect them to do better, just with their quality," Howe said. "But it was a night where their goalkeeper made a number of great saves, and we missed that clinical edge that we normally have.

"It hurts because it's a cup competition, and we're out at the first round – a huge disappointment for us; especially after last year it's doubly painful.

"The intention of the lads and myself and the coaching team was to come here and win. We haven't experienced losing for a long time, and sometimes that can be a positive thing on reflection, but at the moment it's too raw to feel that way."

Newcastle still have a second chance of cup silverware, with an EFL Cup quarter-final home tie against Leicester City coming up on Tuesday.

"We're determined to try and put it right on Tuesday," Howe said.

Graham Potter is optimistic Todd Boehly will not prove as trigger-happy as Roman Abramovich while Chelsea fight to save their season.

Just one win from their last eight Premier League games has seen the Blues sink into mid-table, now 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

Hopes of reaching the Champions League qualifying places are fading, while Manchester City have already dumped them out of the EFL Cup, beaten them in the league, and could repeat the treatment in the FA Cup third round at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Chelsea have a Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund still to look forward to, but emerging from their present slump is paramount, especially for Potter's future as head coach.

He was prised away from Brighton and Hove Albion in September after owner Boehly ditched Champions League-winning boss Thomas Tuchel, in a move that had echoes of the ruthlessness of the Abramovich era.

Chelsea have been busy in the transfer market however, a sign they are prepared to invest heavily to bring results, with Potter the man responsible for getting the wins.

He is surprised there is intense scrutiny on him, saying it is "maybe different for me for some reason" as he pointed out how Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp needed time to build their teams at City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Comparing Chelsea now to the 19-year period when Abramovich called the shots, Potter said: "There's a completely different ownership than there was.

"This is hard for people to also get their head around because Chelsea for 20 years has been one thing, and now all of a sudden, it's different.

"But they still think back to what previously happened for 20 years. The reason for me to take the job was because you've got a chance to shape a club that's in a massive transitional period."

Potter said Chelsea have offered "fantastic" support and quipped that billionaire Boehly was "smarter than me, that's for sure".

"They understand the challenges that we have, and the direction we want to go in. I've been here four months, and five, six weeks of that have been lost to international football," he added.

"I think Pep was there a year before they won anything. And then obviously Mikel and Jurgen took a bit of time. But obviously it's maybe different for me for some reason."

Potter explained he shows anger at times and stressed he was not "some robot", while jokingly describing some reporters' questions as "stupid".

Addressing those reporters, Potter added: "There'll always be people that doubt. There will be people in here that will doubt, that's for sure. But I'm certainly not here to convince anybody. I'm here to do my work. And then if that convinces, then that's fine.

"I'm more confident now that we can achieve things than I was when I started the job because I understand the club and understand the players and understand what's needed. But obviously, with the past of Chelsea and the change of management, you can see why the questions are there."

Asked whether he recognised he was under pressure, Potter said: "I don't know, I don't read the newspapers, I stay away from social media."

He knows there is flak flying around though, and that some will never see the nuance.

"We've had a massive transition," Potter said. "Problems in terms of injuries don't make it easy to be stable. But it's sort of blah, blah, blah. You know people want to see results, and [they would say] 'Shut up Graham, what are you talking about, we need to win'."

Jurgen Klopp refused to put the blame for Liverpool's FA Cup draw with Wolves on mistakes made by Alisson.

The Brazilian was at fault for Wolves' first goal, handing Goncalo Guedes an easy finish with a direct pass, while he also conceded a soft second to Hwang Hee-chan.

Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah both struck to ensure the holders did not suffer a shock third-round exit, but their combined efforts were not enough to prevent a replay at Molineux.

Speaking afterwards however, Klopp did not lay their problems at the feet of his goalkeeper, instead praising what Wolves brought to the table in an engaging contest throughout at Anfield.

"The goal should not happen, but we all know how often Ali saves our backsides," he told ITV Sport. "They had counter-attacks before then [too].

"It is always dangerous when [Adama] Traore gets the ball, we could see that. We came back with a fantastic equaliser. They got a foot in the game, and they caused us massive problems."

Liverpool came closest to an exit when Toti Gomes saw a finish controversially ruled out by the linesman's flag, with VAR unable to offer enough angles to confirm whether Gomes was onside.

The decision sparked a furious reaction from Julen Lopetegui, and Klopp acknowledged it was not an ideal situation for both teams.

"I'm not sure about their third goal," he added. "We have one picture where it may look offside.

"I can understand why they are angry about it. We don't want the VAR to just have one angle."

Cody Gakpo enjoyed a solid debut following his arrival from PSV, and Klopp was warm in his praise for the Dutchman.

"He fitted into the game," he added. "It was not easy for a first step. We cannot expect it to be perfect.

"He showed good signs. We have to get him in better positions, but that will come, no doubt."

Erik ten Hag was convinced Marcus Rashford would react the right way to his manager's risky decision to bench him following his late arrival to a meeting.

Rashford was left out of Ten Hag's starting line-up for Manchester United's away match with Wolves on December 31 for disciplinary reasons, with it later revealed Rashford had overslept and turned up late to a team meeting.

Ten Hag brought on Rashford with the game goalless at Molineux at half-time, to great effect too as the forward netted the winner.

Rashford then went on to score in the following two games, a 3-0 Premier League victory over Bournemouth and a 3-1 FA Cup success against Everton.

Ten Hag believes dropping Rashford was necessary to set the standard he wants, though he added he was confident the 25-year-old would react in the positive way he has done.

"Maybe it's a risk," Ten Hag told reporters. "But if you want to develop something, if you want to create a winning attitude or winning culture, you have to go this way, in my opinion.

"If you allow them to be undisciplined, if they don't match the standards, and values and rules we set together as a team, that the staff place in the dressing room, then it will come back.

"That will blow up in your face on the pitch, because then also on the pitch, they will not act with discipline, what is necessary to win games, it's about top football. So it's about big responsibilities.

"If it's the right human beings who have the right characters, they will react like this. And so, in relation to Marcus, I was quite convinced."

Rashford's goal against Everton on Friday means he has now scored in five straight games, while he became the first United player to net in seven straight home matches in all competitions since Wayne Rooney in 2012.

Despite Rashford's impressive goalscoring run, United are in the market for another striker, with Anthony Martial in and out of the team with injuries so far this season.

"There is a reason, because he [Martial] can't match in this moment the load for many games," Ten Hag added. "That's why we are looking for another striker.

"It is not about that we don't rely on him [Rashford], but it is a physical load that is not in this moment so high that he can't play every third game of every third day, a game of 90 minutes. I have to manage that together with him." 

Although he has been open about United's search for another striker in the January transfer window, Ten Hag is confident in his existing players' ability to put the ball in the net, saying: "Today, Antony scored a goal and we know, Bruno Fernandes is also very capable of scoring a goal.

"Christian Eriksen will create and is capable of scoring. So we have more players who can score goals."

The victory over Everton was United's seventh in a row in all competitions, but Ten Hag is keeping a watchful eye over his players to ensure they do not let complacency creep in.

"You have to be watchful for this," Ten Hag stated. "We have to keep this focus and this concentration we have to work well.

"When we go to games, we have to start with the right attitude. When you don't, the level of the Premier League is that high, you get hammered."

Pep Guardiola is confident Kalvin Phillips is back to full fitness, having described the midfielder as 'overweight' following his return to Manchester City from the World Cup.

Phillips played twice for England in Qatar, coming on as a substitute against Wales and Senegal, but Guardiola was not entirely satisfied with his condition upon his return.

Having struggled with a shoulder injury during the first part of the season, which limited him to just one Premier League appearance, Phillips had to endure an extended wait to return for his second involvement in the league.

That came in Thursday's 1-0 Premier League triumph over Chelsea, where he was introduced off the bench in the 86th minute, and he is now pushing to make his first City start in the FA Cup against the Blues on Sunday.

While Guardiola is unsure whether he will be handed that opportunity, he believes Phillips is back in his best shape.

"I don't know whether Kalvin will play, on Sunday we will see. I had a good feeling last week, that he's back," he told reporters.

"He wanted to change our mind with the way he's going to play, maybe it will be a good lesson for him in the future.

"I have the feeling that a football player, for 12 months, has to be perfect, even on holiday. You can enjoy and do what you want but you must be ready because this game is so demanding.

"Last season with Leeds, for long parts he was injured, he came and couldn't train, he struggled with his shoulder. He fought to go to the World Cup, he got it.

"It was a long period without playing, without rhythm that was not there for five or six years. We need Kalvin, we need all the players."

Having beaten Chelsea in the Premier League, Guardiola is aware the Blues could change their approach for the FA Cup tie – particularly having been ravaged by injury issues, losing both Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic in the early stages of Thursday's game.

"It is better for us to play Chelsea at home with our fans, after a victory it is much better," he added.

"It will be a different game, maybe Graham [Potter] will change his shape, I know they are struggling with injuries. We have three days to think about it."

A horror-show performance from Alisson condemned holders Liverpool to an FA Cup third-round replay after they were held 2-2 by Wolves on Saturday.

The Reds goalkeeper was at direct fault for the visitors' opener and leaked a soft second, as Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-chan netted at Anfield.

Goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah dug Jurgen Klopp's men out of danger between those Wolves strikes, while Cody Gakpo also impressed on his club debut.

Yet the lapses at the back proved costly for the holders, and Julen Lopetegui's visitors will feel they had their chances to claim an underdog win outright against the holders.

They certainly seized their opportunity in the 26th minute when Alisson fired a routine clearance straight to the unmarked Guedes, with the Portugal international lashing a low finish straight back past the Brazilian.

But Liverpool wrestled themselves back on the stroke of half-time after Nunez tucked home a sublime cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold with a deft volley.

Seven minutes after the interval, Gakpo helped put the hosts ahead after Salah finished his chipped ball, with the forward played onside by a botched Tote Gomes clearing header.

That looked like it could have been enough for the hosts, but Alisson was at fault again after Hwang was able to smother a tame shot past him at the left post in the 66th minute.

Hwang's goal sparked a frantic final stretch, with Wolves seeing a third goal chalked off by the linesman's flag in the closing stages, as neither could ultimately find the winner that would have avoided the need for a reunion at Molineux down the line.

Inter missed the chance for a fourth straight Serie A victory as Luca Caldirola's late equaliser snatched a 2-2 draw for Monza on Saturday.

Simone Inzaghi's men ended leaders Napoli's unbeaten start to the season on Wednesday, and they got off to a great start at U-Power Stadium as Matteo Darmian fired in from Alessandro Bastoni's cross.

Ater Patrick Ciurria superbly levelled, Lautaro Martinez looked to have earned Inter victory when he took advantage of Pablo Mari's error to smash his side 2-1 ahead.

However, substitute Caldirola nodded home in the 93rd minute to spark jubilant celebrations from the hosts and deny Inter all three points.

Federico Chiesa dedicated Juventus' late victory over Udinese to Gianluca Vialli following the legendary former Bianconeri striker's death at the age of 58.

Vialli, who also played for Cremonese, Sampdoria and Chelsea, passed away in London on Friday.

He was originally diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017 and, after announcing he had been given the all-clear in April 2020, he was re-diagnosed the following year. 

Vialli played over 100 times for Juventus, with whom he won the Champions League, Serie A, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana and the UEFA Cup across a four-season spell.

Juve paid tribute to Vialli with a minute's applause ahead of Saturday's 1-0 league win over Udinese and played footage of his greatest moments on the big screen at full-time.

Chiesa worked closely with Vialli during the latter's time working as Italy's assistant manager alongside Roberto Mancini, with the Azzurri's Euro 2020 triumph being the highlight.

After setting up Danilo's late winner against Udinese, second-half substitute Chiesa told DAZN: "Our first thoughts go to Gianluca Vialli. 

"He was a wonderful person and I was so lucky to cross paths with him in my life, as he was a real champion, but above all a marvellous human being. 

"At the Euros he really was like an extra player, he was on the pitch with us. We could talk for hours about what a great man he was. The victory is for him."

Thanks to their second late victory in a row to kick off 2023, Juventus have now won eight on the spin without conceding in Serie A for the first time since March 2018.

The Bianconeri have recovered from a slow start to the season to climb up to second and within four points of next opponents Napoli, who face Sampdoria on Sunday.

Despite closing the gap on the leaders, Allegri insists finishing in the top four remains the immediate target for his side.

"Napoli are still clearly the favourites to win the Scudetto," he said. "They have a big advantage, whereas we want to consolidate the top four. 

"We're almost halfway through the season and are doing well. As I said, raising the bar means the performances rather than the results or targets. 

"We have to take it one step at a time, focus on working and achieving the minimum objective, which is a top-four finish."

Juventus have now scored six goals after the 85th minute in Serie A this season, which is the most of any team. 

Danilo's tap-in against Udinese came after Leandro Paredes played in fellow substitute Chiesa, who in turn laid the ball on a plate for his stand-in skipper.

"We were a bit too hasty at times with our crosses and passes," Allegri said. "We knew there could be difficulties, but that the game would improve as time wore on.

"We brought home the win late on because of good fitness levels and also mental strength. 

"Technical skill is crucial, but if you don't have that desire to give that little bit extra and get there a few centimetres before your opponent, you don't win these games.”

Juve now have 12 clean sheets after their opening 17 Serie A games, a tally only Cagliari in the 1966-67 season (13) can better at this stage of a campaign.

"As the coach says, we have to keep raising the bar," Chiesa added. "Eight wins in a row isn't enough; we have to keep doing better."

Yann Sommer will not be sold to Bayern Munich, with Borussia Monchengladbach sporting director Roland Virkus vowing to keep the Switzerland international despite transfer speculation.

The Bundesliga champions are in the market for a new goalkeeper after first-choice Manuel Neuer sustained a season-ending injury on holiday following the World Cup.

Sommer has been touted as a possible replacement, with Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic confirming their interest earlier this week.

Now though, Virkus has bluntly stressed there will be no exit to the Bavarian giants for the shotstopper – whose contract expires in June – during the January transfer window.

"We will not be giving up Yann Sommer," he said following Borussia's friendly against Oldenburg.

"That is what we told Bayern as well. It is planned that he will be used in the last two friendlies."

Virkus' words strike a sharp contrast to those of Salihamidzic, who confirmed interest in Sommer on Friday, though he walked back his comments to an extent at a subsequent press conference.

Neuer was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after he was involved in a skiing accident in the wake of Germany's dismal World Cup campaign.

It has left Bayern with Sven Ulreich and 19-year-old Johannes Schenk as their goalkeeping options, leading the club to intensify a search for reinforcements.

The champions are top of the Bundesliga, four points ahead of Freiburg, and remain on course to defend their crown when the season restarts later this month.

Newcastle United suffered their first defeat since August as they were eliminated from the FA Cup by Sheffield Wednesday in a 2-1 defeat at Hillsborough on Saturday.

Eddie Howe's men have been impressive in the Premier League this season, rising up to third in the table.

But they could not get past League One side Wednesday, who took the lead thanks to Josh Windass' deft finish early in the second half.

Windass got an emphatic second just past the hour, and although Newcastle pulled one back through Bruno Guimaraes' close-range goal soon after, they could not turn things around.

It is the third season in a row that Newcastle have failed to get past the third round of the FA Cup, with Wednesday becoming only the second team to beat the Magpies this season and first since Liverpool on August 31.

Wednesday will play in the fourth round for the fifth time in six years.

Carlo Ancelotti was reluctant to blame the referee for Real Madrid's defeat to Villarreal because he thought neither team's penalties should have been given.

Madrid were beaten 2-1 at Estadio de la Ceramica on Saturday as Los Blancos were denied the chance to return to LaLiga's summit ahead of Barcelona playing Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Yeremy Pino gave Villarreal the lead just after half-time, before referee Cesar Soto Grado took centre-stage.

Juan Foyth was penalised when the ball brushed his hand as he tried to grapple with Vinicius Junior, allowing Karim Benzema to equalise.

But Foyth then won a penalty at the other end on the very next attack as his pass was cut out by the hand of David Alaba, whose arm appeared to be outstretched to break his fall.

The second incident – which yielded Gerard Moreno's match-winning spot-kick – looked particularly contentious, hence Ancelotti being asked after the game if Madrid had been hard done by, but the Italian thinks his team's penalty award was harsh as well.

"We have to get used to this," he told Movistar+. "When there is a hand in the area, it is a penalty, for either side.

"If it was up to me, neither one nor the other [is a penalty]. We have to get used to it, because this is the rule."

During his press conference, Ancelotti added: "Soccer has changed in that sense. There is a clear rule, for everyone, if it is touched with the hand and it is not close to the body, it is a penalty.

"If you slip or don't slip, it's not important. You have to get used to this.

"The two penalties, with the rule, are correct. The fans don't like this, but the referees have to respect this rule."

There was not any doubt regarding Ancelotti summary of the match, however, adamant the Yellow Submarine were worthy winners.

"They played better than us and when you do, you deserve to win," he said. "The game was even, competitively, [but] Villarreal played better than us.

"The key is that we did not defend well in our half. We were not compact enough, we left balls between the lines and they took advantage of it.

"They played very well, at a high level. We didn't, especially defensively.

"We have been dangerous [going forward], but we have left too much control in things that we usually do very well. We must focus well to solve the problem."