SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain, Feb 27,(V7N) – Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed that defender Raul Asencio was "affected" by hostile chants calling for his death during Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Real Sociedad.

Madrid secured a 1-0 victory thanks to an early goal from Endrick, but the match was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding chants directed at Asencio from the home fans. The referee briefly halted the game just before half-time after Vinicius Jr. reported the abuse.

"Vinicius spoke to the referee, the referee stopped the game, he applied the protocol—that was what had to happen," Ancelotti told reporters.

Ancelotti substituted Asencio at half-time, explaining, "I took him off because of two things—he was affected, and he had a yellow card, so I preferred to take him off. Nobody likes to hear an entire stadium chanting for you to die."

The 22-year-old center-back has been the target of abuse in recent weeks following allegations that he shared a sexually explicit video of a minor, recorded by two former Real Madrid youth players. He remains under investigation by a Spanish court.

Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal condemned the chants but insisted there were other ways to protest: "The insults should be condemned, we don't like them... there are other ways to respond to actions that others may have committed. We don't think this is the right way."

Adding to the controversy, a video circulated on social media showing a Real Sociedad fan appearing to make monkey gestures at Vinicius Jr. while the game was paused.

Madrid in Control After First-Leg Win

On the pitch, Madrid took control of the tie ahead of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 1.

Endrick, Madrid’s 18-year-old forward, scored the winner in the 19th minute, finishing with the outside of his boot after latching onto Jude Bellingham's precise diagonal pass.

Ancelotti rotated his squad for the fixture, with Kylian Mbappe sidelined due to a dental issue, and key players like Fede Valverde and Thibaut Courtois also unavailable. The coach handed starts to Arda Guler, Fran Garcia, and Eduardo Camavinga, and Madrid still delivered a solid performance.

Vinicius came close to doubling the lead, forcing a fine save from Alex Remiro, while goalkeeper Andriy Lunin made a crucial double save early in the second half to deny Mikel Oyarzabal and Takefusa Kubo.

Madrid nearly extended their advantage when Endrick struck the crossbar from distance, while Bellingham saw two efforts well saed by Remiro.

A late injury to Dani Ceballos, who suffered a muscular problem in stoppage time after a challenge from Kubo, was the only setback for Madrid.

Ancelotti praised his side's defensive display: "I think the team's doing well. We rotated but maintained our solidity, it was a good game in a defensive sense."

Barcelona and Atletico Play Out Thriller

In the other semi-final first leg on Tuesday, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona played out a dramatic 4-4 draw, setting up an exciting secondleg in their Copa del Rey clash.

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