‘Doesn’t matter’ – Carlo Ancelotti responds to Arda Güler’s stunning halfway line effort vs Osasuna
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has this evening provided his take on the moment of magic conjured up by youngster Arda Güler, late in the club’s meeting with Osasuna.
Güler, for his part, came within inches of a legitimate contender for La Liga Goal of the Season, a short time ago.
Introduced off the bench en route to his side’s 4-2 triumph in Pamplona, the Turk picked up the ball inside his own half, before driving on to the halfway line.
Spotting Osasuna no.1 Sergio Herrera off his line, Güler, in turn, took aim at goal, courtesy of a pinpoint left-footed strike.
As the entirety of El Sadar held its collective breath, the ball soared through the air, before, agonisingly, coming crashing back off the crossbar.
A collective gasp quickly spread around the ground, with Güler’s teammates on the Real Madrid bench having been spotted looking in a state of awe.
Wow, Güler 😮
#LALIGAHighlights pic.twitter.com/KSwzziLyEu
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) March 16, 2024
Speaking to the media on the back of the full-time whistle, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of his young midfielder’s moment of ingenuity was put to Carlo Ancelotti.
And the Blancos headmaster went on to assure that it ‘doesn’t matter’ that Güler’s strike didn’t quite find the net, with the moment in and of itself as good as ‘a goal for us’:
“Arda Güler? Only a great talent can see a play like that. It doesn’t matter if he didn’t score, it’s a goal for us.”
Conor Laird | GSFN