Carlo Ancelotti bemoaned what he perceived as Real Madrid’s bad luck after watching them slump to defeat against his former club Juventus.

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The Spanish giants fell behind to an early goal from one of their own, Alvaro Morata, who is spending the season on loan in Italy. 

After levelling through Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid could have taken the lead when James Rodriguez sent a bullet header against the crossbar from close range when it seemed easier to score.

And they paid the full price for that miss in the second period when a corner resulted in Marcelo’s shot being blocked to launch a Juventus counter-attack through Carlos Tevez, who ran on to win a penalty which he subsequently converted.

Ancelotti said: “We were very bad at first but after 15 minutes we improved. We equalised and looked good. But then we hit the bar and they scored after a rebound from Marcelo’s shot. We had bad luck.”

Ancelotti also refused to pinpoint his selection of Sergio Ramos in the centre of midfield as a key factor behind his team’s performance, despite a wayward display of passing from the experienced defender.

“It wasn’t only Ramos who lacked precision,” he said. “The whole team was below par in our passing and our control of the game.

“We lacked patience and clarity between the lines of midfield and defence, but we shouldn’t forget that Juventus are a dangerous team.”

Juve goalscorer Morata was delighted with the Bianconeri’s performance, but knows they face a testing trip to the Bernabeu next Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Spain international said: “We played a good game and put them under pressure. “We are happy with the result but now we need to lift our heads and look towards next week’s game because it will be very difficult.”

Morata, who was born in Madrid and joined Los Blancos as a teenager, also explained that his muted goal celebration was a mark of respect for his parent club, saying: “I grew up there and was showing my affection for the Real Madrid family.”