Carlo Ancelotti reveals furious warning to Vinicius Junior during touchline spat against Real Sociedad

Carlo Ancelotti has admitted he threatened to substitute star winger Vinicius Junior during a heated clash between the pair in Tuesday’s dramatic triumph over Real Sociedad.

Madrid had a 1-0 lead from the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final clash, but made hard work of the return fixture. Ancelotti’s side went 1-0 down before Vinicius set up Endrick for an equaliser, but the Brazilian winger was disappointing for the majority of the remainder of the game as Sociedad found themselves 3-1 ahead with just ten minutes remaining.

During the second half, cameras caught Ancelotti and his assistant, son Davide, in a heated exchange with Vinicius, who was spotted telling his manager, “No, no”. Reports later claimed Ancelotti warned Vinicius he would be substituted if he did not start making more effort on the defensive end.

Asked whether that was the nature of his clash with Vinicius, an honest Ancelotti confessed: “Yes.”

Vinicius then grabbed an assist for Jude Bellingham which helped inspire a dramatic comeback. The two sides went to extra time and ended level at 4-4 on the night, handing Madrid a slender 5-4 victory on aggregate.

“After that conversation, Vini upped the tempo and unleashed all his quality, and he was very important in extra time,” Ancelotti added.

“It’s not good to concede four goals. We’re a team that lacks balance, but we have a lot going forward. Scoring four goals against Real Sociedad isn’t that easy.”