Carlo Ancelotti dished out high praise to Endrick after the teenager's winner for Real Madrid on Wednesday. (More Sports News)
🌳Endrick netted the only goal as Madrid beat Real Sociedad 1-0 in San Sebastian to take the lead in their two-legged Copa del Rey semi-final tie.
🐼The Brazil international, who arrived at Madrid with big expectations, has been unable to cement his place in Los Blancos' starting XI this season.
💛Endrick has made only four starts in all competitions, though the 18-year-old's brilliant finish against La Real, and performance overall, left Ancelotti hugely impressed.
ཧ"He is spectacular," Ancelotti told reporters of Endrick, who is now on six goals for the season.
🦹"He has these amazing characteristics he has shown whenever he has a chance. His accuracy is off the charts, he's quick and he still has a lot to improve with the ball.
ﷺ"But, wow, his dribbling, his runs, the shot he has, he could even score a second goal easily with that great strike off the post.
𒀰"He is just spectacular. Very young, but a very fast learner."
𓆏Ancelotti made plenty of changes to his team, though Madrid still fielded a starting XI featuring Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger.
🅰One of those changes, goalkeeper Andrii Lunin, was vital to keeping La Real at bay.
💎The Ukrainian made six saves, preventing 1.3 goals according to expected goals on target (xGoT) data.
𒁃"We are living a good moment. We rotated, but we remained solid, we were compact and played a very good game defensively," Ancelotti added.
🌳"With solidarity. We did really well, despite the rotations.
✤"We should be satisfied. It was an intense match, against an opponent who gave their all and we took a good result for the return leg."
ꦕMadrid host La Real in the second leg at the start of April. They will look to keep up their hopes of a domestic treble by overcoming city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in the meantime.
