Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini felt his side again deserved better against AC Milan following a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Champions League last night. A fortnight after a 3-2 defeat at the Bernabeu, where Rossoneri forward Alexandre Pato struck an 88th-minute winner, Los Merengues had to settle for a point from their trip to the San Siro.

"We've taken a point from a difficult ground, but it's a shame we didn't leave with the victory because we could have won," said a frustrated Pellegrini. "I think we deserve to have already sealed our passage through to the next round. Both results against Milan don't correspond with what happened on the pitch, neither at the Bernabeu or San Siro."

We've taken a point from a difficult ground, but it's a shame we didn't leave with the victory because we could have won.
Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini on his team's 1-1 draw away to AC Milan

Real took the lead in the 29th minute when Karim Benzema slotted home, but their advantage lasted just six minutes until Ronaldinho equalised from the penalty spot after Pepe was ruled to have handled Gianluca Zambrotta's cross.

The result left the Spanish giants second in Group C, level on seven points with leaders Milan and a point ahead of Marseille with two games remaining.

"I'm not satisfied because I believe we deserved to win, but I also think it was important not to lose," Pellegrini continued. "We failed to win because Milan scored from their penalty, because apart from that they hardly had any chances.

"We played well in the first half and had 16 shots on goal. We went out with the intention to win the game and that was reflected in our dominance and the chances we had.

"Milan kept more possession in the second half, which prevented us from reaching their goal so frequently, but we still had our opportunities and we came close to getting the three points with the efforts from Raul and Marcelo."