BREAKING: Thibaut Courtois Reveals Why Real Madrid Suffered Against Arsenal In UCL
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has faulted his team’s style of play for their 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals second-leg tie on Wednesday, April 16.
Recall that Real Madrid went into the second leg tie trailing 3-0 on aggregate which meant they needed to beat Arsenal 4-0 to scale through or 3-0 to force the game into a penalty shootout.
During the match, Courtois made an impressive save in the 13th minute, denying Bukayo Saka’s penalty and holding off the Gunners from extending their lead.
However, Saka eventually scored in the second half with a well-placed finish over Courtois after a clever pass from Mikel Merino.
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr managed to equalize after a mistake from William Saliba, but Gabriel Martinelli secured the victory for Arsenal with a stoppage-time goal.
After the match, while Courtois acknowledged Arsenal’s superiority over the two legs, he emphasized the need for improvement within the Real Madrid squad.
He stated, “At half-time, we believed that if we scored the first goal, we could turn the tie around. They found the breakthrough, and we equalized quickly, but ultimately, we couldn’t capitalize on our chances.”
Courtois noted, “I don’t believe (David) Raya had to make a significant save throughout the match. We’ve faced a strong Arsenal team, and we need to recognize their strengths—they defend well, are organized, and press effectively. It’s been challenging to find space against them. While we relied on crosses, we are missing a natural striker like Joselu this season.”
He highlighted the importance of reflecting on their performance to identify areas for improvement, stating, “We have a lot of the season ahead of us with the league title on the line, the Cup in ten days, and the Club World Cup to prepare for.
“We appreciate the support of our fans. The pursuit of a comeback was inspiring, and we hope to bring joy to our supporters moving forward.”
