Carlo Ancelotti, manager of Real Madrid, has praised forward Kylian Mbappé following his team’s 5-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday.

Ancelotti, visibly disappointed with the loss, was nonetheless impressed by Mbappé’s performance in the match. The French striker opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the 5th minute in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and also earned his team a penalty during the game.

Mbappé’s brilliant strike was one of the few highlights for Real Madrid, as Barcelona responded with goals from Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Alejandro Balde, all before halftime. Raphinha added a fifth goal right after the break, and despite Rodrygo pulling one back for Madrid, the match ended 5-2 in Barcelona’s favor.

“The game wasn’t good from start to finish. Even with an extra man, we couldn’t find solutions. I’m sad about the result overall, but I can’t take anything away from Mbappé’s performance—he scored a great goal after a good move,” Ancelotti commented in his post-match interview.

Looking ahead, Real Madrid will face Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey on Thursday.