"Discomfort in his Achilles tendon" - Carlo Ancelotti provides injury update on Real Madrid superstar 

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has said that Rodrygo picked up an Achilles tendon issue during the Copa del Rey win over Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid took on Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday (January 26) night. Los Rojiblancos scored the opening goal in the 17th minute through Alvaro Morata.

Rodrygo equalised for the hosts in the 79th minute before goals from Karim Benzema (104th minute) and Vinicius Junior (120+1st minute) in extra time carried them to a 3-1 victory. The comeback win helped them join Barcelona, Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao in the final four.

After overseeing Real Madrid’s progress to the semifinals, Ancelotti said at the post-match conference that Rodrygo ended the game with some discomfort:

“Rodrygo has discomfort in his Achilles tendon,” said Ancelotti (via Madrid Xtra).

Ferland Mendy also picked up an injury against Atletico. The left-back had to come off in the 44th minute with a hamstring injury.

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Real Madrid star Rodrygo scored one of the best goals of the season against Atletico Madrid

With the game heading towards a disappointing result for Real Madrid, Ancelotti decided to switch things up in attack in the second half. Rodrygo came on for Federico Valverde in the 69th minute, and ten minutes later, he scored one of the best goals of the season.

Receiving the ball from Luka Modric 30 yards from goal, Rodrygo went on an adventurous solo run. Making the most of his close control, the Brazilian winger went past two defenders outside the area before shuffling past two more inside the box.

Approaching the near post, the winger applied a cheeky outside-the-box finish to take the ball beyond Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

The sensational goal aside, Rodrygo also impressed with his link-up play and ability to thread the ball into dangerous areas.

The former Santos man played two key passes, won all three of his ground duels, delivered two accurate long balls and completed two dribbles against Diego Simeone’s men. Moreover, he completed 31 passes (91.2% accuracy), drew a foul and also made a clearance.