A frustrated Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti felt his team could have won the opening leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Atletico Madrid.
Ancelotti's men dominated the opening half of Tuesday's goalless draw at the Vicente Calderon stadium and had several cleat-cut chances only to be denied by good saves from Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
"In the first half we deserved more than 0-0," Ancelotti said to his club's official website. "It was fantastic; we played very well, with a lot of personality.
"The second half was different, Atletico pressured more, we found it more difficult to control possession and the match was more even.
"We found it difficult to score against Atletico, because they are one of the best teams in the world defensively.
"We gave it a real go in the first half, but Oblak did a great job."
Real's best chance of the game came early on but Gareth Bale failed to beat Oblak in a one-on-one.
"Oblak did very well," Ancelotti said of Bale's opportunity. "He came out quickly and did everything he had to do to make a great save."
Real, who beat Atletico in last season's Champions League final in Lisbon to clinch a record 10th European Cup, will have home advantage for the second leg on April 22 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
"We have to focus on repeating what we did for 45 minutes for the whole game," Ancelotti said. "We have the chance to go through at home.
"And, as I've said before, you can go through with two draws.
"A 0-0 draw is the best of the worst results."
Real will not have Marcelo available for the return leg because the Brazilian defender was booked and has to serve a one-match ban.
"It has an impact in that he won't play," Ancelotti said.
Real are second in La Liga, two points adrift of league leaders Barcelona, and host Malaga in the Primera Division on Saturday.
Source: PA
