After a dramatic 3-1 comeback on Wednesday evening, Madrid won 6-5 on aggregate at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rodrygo scored twice in the dying minutes to force extra time, and he came on to replace Toni Kroos with less than half an hour remaining.
Given Kroos' experience in the competition, it was a risky approach that paid off. To make it a relatively young Madrid lineup, Luka Modric and Casemiro were replaced by Eduardo Camavinga and Marco Asensio, respectively.
Ancelotti turned to veterans Kroos and Marcelo on the bench to plan their next course of action after they went ahead thanks to a Karim Benzema penalty.
Dani Ceballos replaced Benzema in a move that surprised many considering Madrid's one-goal lead.
For their fifth and sixth substitutions, defenders Lucas Vasquez and Jesus Vallejo replaced Vinicius Jr. and Eder Militao.
Following the game, Kroos acknowledged that winning the game was a collective effort.
He elaborated: "Ancelotti sought advice from the more experienced players on who he should bring in in extra time. This incident exactly defines him as a coach and explains why he gets along so well with the players."
Ancelotti is considered as the ultimate man manager, and he will be aiming for his fourth Champions League title and Madrid's 14th overall.
During his first stint in charge, the 62-year-old was instrumental in the production of 'La Decima' in 2014.
He also has a history with Los Blancos' fellow finalists Liverpool, whom he will face in Paris later this month.
AC Milan, under Ancelotti, were victims of the famed Istanbul comeback in 2005 before avenging themselves.
Ancelotti also led Everton for a year and a half, defeating Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield last season.
Madrid won the La Liga title with a 4-0 win over Espanyol last weekend, and they can now focus on their third major European final versus Liverpool, who are still in a tight title race with City.
Who do you think the winner of the Champions League will be? Will it be Real Madrid or Liverpool? Let's wait until May 28th.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0