“I hope he never plays again”, “Should retire” - Fans blast 33-year-old Real Madrid star after 1-0 loss to Espanyol

Fans are unimpressed with Real Madrid right-back Lucas Vazquez's display in their LaLiga clash against Espanyol. The match ended in a 1-0 loss for Los Blancos on February 1, at RCDE Stadium.

While there were plenty of attempts and chances created by Real Madrid, the sole goal of the match came via Espanyol defender Carlos Romero's left-footed shot from a difficult angle in the 85th minute. Romero was assisted by Omar El Hilali following a fast break.

Lucas Vazquez was replaced by Brahim Díaz in the 87th minute. During his time on the pitch, the 33-year-old made a number of errors. He made one clearance, one interception and lost possession nine times while producing three key passes.

Fans took to X to criticize Vazquez for his performance in Real Madrid's 1-0 loss against Espanyol.

One fan wrote:

"I hate him so much I hope he never plays again."

Another added:

"Lucas Vazquez should retire nau I dun tire abeg!"

"Lucas Vazquez is a terrible player," chimed in another fan.

One account posted:

"Lucas Vazquez where are you at?"

Another tweeted:

"Vazquez if you can’t be a good player at least be a good captain wdym they commit a criminal foul on your teammate and you go to hug the person who committed the foul instead of protesting?"

"Vasquez out. He's shit," posted another.

One user wrote:

"Both Vazquez and Ancelotti should be sacked!"

While another wrote:

"Someone should look into how many goals we’ve conceded this season from shots originating on Vazquez’s side/the zone he was supposed to cover."

Lucas Vazquez has contributed to nine clean sheets in 29 appearances across competitions for Real Madrid this season while registering two goals and five assists.

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Carlo Ancelotti on Real Madrid's 1-0 loss against Espanyol in LaLiga

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti shared his thoughts on his side's 1-0 defeat to Espanyol in their 22nd LaLiga clash of the season. The Italian manager regarded the match as a tough one, giving credit to the opponents for bagging the win. During the post-match press conference, he said (via ESPN):

"The game was difficult. We did some things well. We had control, above all in the second half, and we had chances. We had a goal ruled out, we hit the woodwork. We had 20 shots on goal. Espanyol played well in transitions, defended well, they caught us out of shape and they scored."

Ancelotti also pointed out the silver linings for Los Blancos in the clash, while maintaining an optimistic attitude for the upcoming matches (via Managing Madrid):

"Well... Espanyol played a good game, they defended very well, they tried to make transitions, which is what they had to do. The game wasn’t as bad as the result suggests, which can sometimes happen. We had opportunities, the team was balanced, we’re still in the fight and we have to look to the next game," he added.

Los Blancos had 76% possession against Espanyol and a passing accuracy of 91%. Vinicius Junior did find the back of the net for Real Madrid in the 22nd minute. However, the goal was overruled by VAR due to Kylian Mbappe's foul on Pol Lozano in the build-up. Ancelotti's men had a total of 21 shots, seven of which were on target.

Real Madrid are set to face rivals Atletico Madrid in their next LaLiga clash on February 8, at the Santiago Bernabeu.