"It’s a very special night for him" - Carlo Ancelotti praises Real Madrid star after Atletico Madrid draw

Manager Carlo Ancelotti has lavished praise on Alvaro Rodríguez after his contribution to Real Madrid's 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid on Saturday (February 25).

This was his third appearance for Los Blancos this campaign. Rodriguez came on for centre-back Nacho Fernandez with 13 minutes left on the clock.

As fate would have it, 10-men Atletico scored in the very next minute through a brilliant-headed goal from Jose Maria Gimenez. Rodriguez went on to score the equalizer in the 85th minute in a similar fashion.

He leapt onto a Luka Modric corner-kick to draw his team level on the night. Rodriguez also provided an assist in his team's 2-0 La Liga win against CA Osasuna on February 18.

Speaking after his team's draw against Los Colchoneros, Ancelotti said (h/t Managing Madrid):

"It’s a very special night for him. He has shown all his quality in the little game time he has had. We think he can be useful for us in this stretch of the season, playing for Castilla and playing for us.

"Our plan for next season is for Álvaro to be in the first-team squad. He has quality like few others and he’s tall and strong. Benzema isn’t a traditional centre-forward, so having one with this quality of his height is good for us."

The U20 Uruguay international could be the successor Real Madrid desperately need for Karim Benzema. The 35-year-old could leave the club as a free agent at the end of the campaign.

Rodriguez, 18, is on a long-term contract at the Santiago Bernabeu, which expires only in the summer of 2027. He has been on their books since joining the club after the 2019-20 season from Girona FC's youth academy.

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Real Madrid boss happy to have a break after Atletico Madrid draw

Like other top European teams, games have been coming thick and fast for Real Madrid.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti seemed happy to have a much-needed break after the draw against Atletico Madrid. He continued, via the aforementioned source:

"It’s normal that we’re a bit fatigued, as we’ve had 17 games in 50 days. Tomorrow we’ll rest and then we’ll start working on Monday. We’ll have the chance to have a good tactical session on Tuesday. That’s most welcome."

The draw means Barcelona could go 10 points clear at the top of the La Liga table after 23 games if they beat UD Almeria later today (February 26). Barca and Real Madrid's next game is their clash in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals on March 2.