Whistles, roars, and the cheers of eight goals reverberated through Riyadh’s Al Awal Park on Wednesday night. But beyond the pitch, it led to another battle. While Real Madrid edged out Atletico Madrid in a Supercopa de España thriller, a war of words erupted online among fandom. It was fueled by one woman’s tenacious defense of her husband and a targeted jab at the decision-making capabilities of the team’s coach Carlo Ancelotti.
It’s not every day that the criticism comes from a player’s family. But that was surely the case after the Madrid derby last night, as the wife of Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin voiced her discontent on social media. Let’s know the reason behind this hiatus.
Carlo Ancelotti slammed for his decision-making by Andriy Lunin’s wife
Amidst the thrilling 5-3 victory for Real Madrid, head coach Carlo Ancelotti decided to field Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal instead of Andriy Lunin. This call from the Italian manager raised eyebrows and birthed questions in fans’ minds. The Ukrainian shot-stopper had collected praise for his performances lately in La Liga, adding to the absence of injured Thibaut Courtois. Many fans expected Lunin to start the Madrid derby. However, after Kepa’s questionable performance in the match, Lunin’s wife Anastasia Nastasica took to Instagram to show her discontent regarding the goalkeeping dilemma at Real Madrid.
Anastasia Nastasica ignited social media after the pulsating derby with just a single Instagram post. She posted a photo of her and her husband, accompanied by the caption: “For sure, number 1.” This also fuels the simmering debate over the club’s number one shot-stopper once again. The Instagram story, since deleted, stirred up the Madrid fanbase, especially after Kepa Arrizabalaga’s costly own goal and shaky performance against Atletico.
The goalkeeper conundrum at Real Madrid
The goalkeeper situation for Los Blancos has been far from conventional this season. With Thibaut Courtois out for the season due to an ACL injury, Kepa Arrizabalaga arrived on loan from Chelsea to balance out. However, as the season progressed, Andriy Lunin emerged as a star for Real Madrid, pulling out a string of impressive performances on the pitch.
Reports suggest that Lunin had proven Carlo Ancelotti wrong with his displays when Kepa was initially sidelined. Marca states that if it was a La Liga match, then Lunin would almost certainly be in goal against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night. However, as it was a cup competition, Kepa was given the nod.
Whether this competition for the number one spot proves beneficial for Real Madrid or adds further to the dilemma, remains to be seen. For now, fans await Ancelotti’s next move. Will he stick with the experienced Kepa or lean towards the promising Lunin in the Super Cup final? All eyes will be on Real Madrid, who will compete for their first trophy of the season on Sunday, 14th January.
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