The penalty that Marcos Asensio took in Sunday’s 1-0 La Liga loss to Mallorca has been explained by Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.
In spite of Asensio’s failed penalty, Nacho’s own goal gave Mallorca a victory over Real Madrid.
Real Madrid now trail league-leading Barcelona by five points as a result of the game’s outcome.
Ancelotti explained why he chose Asensio to take the penalty rather than Rodrygo in his post-game news conference, saying: “I choose the taker since Benzema, Modri, and Kroos were all off the pitch at that point.
“It was Asensio versus Rodrygo, and we believed Rodrygo could be a little mentally drained by his miss in the World Cup,” said the referee.
