By Kabiru Abdulrauf.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois didn’t hold back following his side’s painful 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on Wednesday night.
Despite an early penalty save from Bukayo Saka that briefly sparked hope, Los Blancos were unable to overturn a daunting 3-0 first-leg deficit. Saka would eventually open the scoring in the second half, coolly finishing a pass from Mikel Merino. Though Vinicius Jr responded swiftly after a defensive lapse from William Saliba, it was Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time strike that sealed the Gunners’ place in the semi-finals with a 5-1 aggregate win.
Courtois, visibly frustrated post-match, admitted Arsenal deserved to progress but criticized his own teammates’ performance and the team’s lack of cutting edge in front of goal.
“We lost against a superior Arsenal and we have to accept it,” Courtois said. “We weren’t successful up front—Raya didn’t have to make a single great save. We put in a lot of crosses, but this year we don’t have Joselu, a natural striker.”
The Belgian stopper emphasized that despite the setback, Real Madrid still have much to play for. “We have to analyse carefully what we can do better. The League is on the line, we have the Cup final in ten days, and the Club World Cup after that.”
With the Champions League dream now over, Courtois’ blunt words serve as a wake-up call for a Madrid side still chasing silverware on multiple fronts.
