´Now is when the season starts´ – Ancelotti after Madrid´s comeback win

Real Madrid’s season starts now, said Carlo Ancelotti after his side’s comeback victory at Manchester City.

Jude Bellingham netted a last-gasp winner as Madrid completed the turnaround with a 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

It means Los Blancos head into next week’s second leg in the Champions League play-off with a huge chance of reaching the last 16.

Madrid are top of LaLiga following last week’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid, and after this morale-boosting result amid an injury crisis, Ancelotti set out the challenge for the rest of the campaign.

“The result is a trick result. You’ve won, it can make you lower your [guard], believe that you don’t have to come back and we can’t fall into that trap,” the Italian told Movistar Plus.

“You have to prepare well, as we did today, with the same focus, quality and sacrifice, just like tonight, which was a great performance.

“Now is when the season starts for real and despite the difficulty we faced playing at a very hard place to visit we were able to earn a very good result.”

Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz cancelled out a double from City’s Erling Haaland before Bellingham’s stoppage-time heroics.

Madrid recorded 3.42 expected goals to City’s 1.6, having created the better chances throughout.

“I think it was a complete game in all aspects, beyond criticism from my part,” Ancelotti said.

“Everyone worked hard. We had a lot of chances. We didn’t give up when we were behind. It was a well-rounded, unblemished performance. I think we deserved the win.

“We defended well, with a compact block, they took the lead with a penalty but up front our players were very effective. They could have been a bit more accurate, but they generated a lot of chances with mobility, teamwork and individual quality.”

City failed to win a Champions League game in which they led twice for the third time, and first time ever at the Etihad Stadium. All three occasions have been against Madrid.

Bellingham, meanwhile, is the first English player to score a Champions League goal against an English side for two different clubs, with the midfielder having previously netted against City for Borussia Dortmund.