Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said that the referee of the Madrid derby, Mateo Busquets Ferrer, "made the right call" when he decided to stop the match at the Civitas Metropolitano in the 69th minute after objects were thrown at Thibaut Courtois.

"The ref handled it well by stopping the game for a few minutes and sending us to the locker room. It was the right call, even though no one liked having the game paused, but I think the ref did the right thing," Ancelotti stated in a press conference.

Ancelotti avoided commenting on any possible punishment for Atlético Madrid after the incidents. "I’m just a coach; I focus on the sporting side of things. There are others who are more experienced than me to make the right decisions."

He dismissed the idea that the 22-minute break affected his team or gave their opponents a chance to regroup. "Absolutely not, it was a game with this issue that affected both teams equally because both wanted to play, but the referee made the right call."

Finally, Ancelotti revealed what the referee told him and Diego Simeone before stopping the game. "He told us that lighters had been thrown twice, and if it happened again, he'd have to stop the match for a ten-minute break and then restart."