Valentin “Taty” Castellanos called his four-goal haul for Girona against Real Madrid on Tuesday a “dream night, while visiting manager Carlo Ancelotti apologised to fans for their performance in a 4-2 LaLiga defeat.
Castellanos scored twice in the first half at Montilivi — and twice more after the interval — with Vinicius Junior and Lucas Vazquez responding for Madrid, who now sit 11 points behind league leaders Barcelona.
The forward — on loan from New York City FC — is the first player to score four goals against Real Madrid in a LaLiga game for 76 years.
“It’s a dream night. We played a great game against one of the best teams in the world. I never imagined this,” Castellanos told Movistar. “It was a dream of mine to score against Madrid, and I never imagined scoring four. I’m really happy.”
Castellanos joined Girona on loan in July last year after scoring 54 MLS goals in five years at NYCFC. He had scored seven goals in 28 LaLiga appearances this season before Tuesday’s game.
After the game, Ancelotti slammed his own team’s performance.
“It’s incredible,” Ancelotti said. “[Madrid] had been on a good run, above all defensively. It’s inexplicable — except for a lack of being convincing in the duels, our organisation at the back, leaving too many spaces.
“A minute into the second half, they finished us off. We’re hurting, but we’ll have to get back up. This game doesn’t represent what Real Madrid are. We aren’t this team tonight. It was a bad night, and we apologise.”
With Madrid’s league title aspirations all but over, their focus is on a Copa del Rey final with Osasuna on May 6 and a Champions League semifinal tie with Manchester City. Ancelotti said he hoped the team could learn lessons from the Girona loss.
“A defeat is never good,” he said. “But defensive commitment is so important and if we have it, we’ll always win. If not, it will cost us. That’s the key. Today we didn’t have it.
“We’d kept six clean sheets in seven games. And in this one, we conceded four goals. I hope the players have understood it. If not, I’ll repeat it every day.
“The fans know we’ll be OK in the cup final and in the semifinal [against City].”
