‘Maybe he forgot’ – Ancelotti addresses Rodrygo handshake snub in Real Madrid substitution strop

• Blancos edged past Villarreal in cup
• Brazilian forward not happy at being taken off
• Coach eager to move on from incident

WHAT HAPPENED? The Blancos were in domestic cup action on Thursday, coming out on top in a thrilling contest with La Liga rivals Villarreal. Brazil international forward Rodrygo was handed a starting berth, but was withdrawn in the 56th minute and did not take kindly to seeing his number held up – with the 22-year-old deciding not to interact with his coach before taking up a seat on the bench.

WHAT THEY SAID: Quizzed on Rodrygo’s show of petulance, Italian tactician Ancelotti – who could be seen giving the South American winger a dressing down – said: “At half-time, we saw that Rodrygo had a muscle that was a little overloaded. So, we decided to make an early substitution. He didn’t shake my hand as he came off, maybe because he forgot.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Real found themselves two goals down by half-time against Villarreal, but staged a stirring second-half fightback that saw Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos find the target in a dramatic 3-2 win.

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WHAT NEXT? Real, who remain the current holders of La Liga and Champions League crowns, will be back in action on Sunday when taking in a trip to Athletic Club.