Ancelotti says Asencio 'affected' by death chants
The 22-year-old defender has been targeted with similar abuse at various stadiums in recent weeks due to an ongoing legal investigation, but this was the first time a match had been halted as a result.
Real Madrid took control of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie against Real Sociedad with a 1-0 victory in San Sebastian on 26 february, but the match was overshadowed by controversy after home fans chanted for Raul Asencio to die.
The 22-year-old defender has been targeted with similar abuse at various stadiums in recent weeks due to an ongoing legal investigation, but this was the first time a match had been halted as a result. The game was briefly stopped just before half-time after Vinicius Junior reported the chants to the referee, who then applied the protocol for dealing with discriminatory behaviour.
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed after the match that Asencio had been affected by the chants, which contributed to his decision to substitute him at half-time.
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"Nobody likes hearing an entire stadium chant for them to die. He was affected by it, and he also had a yellow card, so I preferred to take him off," Ancelotti explained.
Real Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal condemned the insults, stating, "We don't like them. There are other ways to express disapproval, but this is not the right way."
As the match was paused, footage also surfaced of a Real Sociedad fan making monkey gestures towards Vinicius, further adding to the controversy surrounding the night.
On the pitch, Madrid secured a crucial first-leg advantage thanks to an early goal from Endrick. The 18-year-old latched onto a well-placed diagonal pass from Jude Bellingham in the 19th minute before finishing neatly with the outside of his boot at the near post.
Despite missing Kylian Mbappe due to a dental issue, as well as Fede Valverde and Thibaut Courtois, Ancelotti's side produced a solid display. The Italian opted for several changes ahead of upcoming clashes against Real Betis in La Liga and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16, handing starts to Arda Guler, Fran Garcia and Eduardo Camavinga.
Madrid had further chances to extend their lead, with Endrick rattling the crossbar and Bellingham twice being denied by Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro. At the other end, Andriy Lunin made a superb double save to keep out Mikel Oyarzabal and Takefusa Kubo early in the second half.
One concern for Madrid was an injury to Dani Ceballos in stoppage time following a collision with Kubo. Ancelotti later confirmed that the midfielder had suffered a muscle problem.
"I think the team did well. We rotated but remained solid defensively. It was a good performance," said Ancelotti.
The second leg will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu on 1 april, with Madrid now strong favourites to progress to the final, where they would face either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid. The other semi-final remains finely poised after a dramatic 4-4 draw between the two sides on 25 february.
