Carlo Ancelotti started Rodrygo and Federico Valverde in the game against Real Sociedad.

The South American duo travelled long miles to play for their respective countries, and still had the energy to play and do well against Real Sociedad.

Ancelotti however admitted that the international break had an effect on the duo.

The Italian said: “I liked him [Rodrygo] because his positioning between the lines was very good.

“Like Valverde, he is one of the players most affected by this international break because he only arrived back on Thursday afternoon. It’s not so easy to recover after arriving on Thursday. He didn’t score, but that’s fine.”

Valverde scored the equalising goal, which buoyed Real Madrid to seal 2-1 win over Real Sociedad.

Rodrygo and Valverde lasted 87 minutes on the pitch against Real Sociedad.