"Although we won the match, I still think we should apologize to all the fans who care about us. I'm sorry, but we played terribly—perhaps even the worst match of the season."
At the post-match press conference, Yang Yang attended alongside Ancelotti as the team captain and accepted interviews from the reporters present. His view of the match was that the victory had been extremely fortunate and hard-fought.
"We didn't create many chances. Our opponents, Atletico Madrid, are a powerful team. They reached the Champions League Final last season and are also very strong this season. Facing an opponent like that while we were out of form was indeed dangerous, but that definitely can't become an excuse for our poor performance."
"Over the next few days, we'll analyze this match carefully and review it. Although it'll be difficult, we need to understand exactly what went wrong for us in this match."
One reporter reminded Yang Yang that the match had not ended in a draw—Real Madrid had won.
Yang Yang frankly shook his head and said, "In fact, I think Atletico deserved the victory more. We did win on the scoreboard, but in reality, we all know in our hearts that we lost."
Yang Yang's magnanimity earned considerable praise from the reporters present. Someone like him, who dared to admit that his team had been inferior to their archrivals despite winning, was effectively pouring a bucket of cold water over the team. That truly required courage.
Of course, Yang Yang's standing at Real Madrid also gave him the courage to say such things.
Regarding the reasons for the team's poor performance, Yang Yang denied the suggestions made by reporters that some players lacked fighting spirit or that the substitutes were not good enough. He believed Real Madrid lacked nothing.
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