Courtois Reflects on Remarkable Save
Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois reflected on his remarkable save from Dominik Szoboszlai during the team’s recent match, acknowledging that it didn’t quite follow traditional goalkeeping technique. Despite his heroics at Anfield on Tuesday, where he tallied eight saves, the Spanish giants were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Liverpool. The highlight of Courtois’s performance came in the 27th minute when he expertly thwarted Szoboszlai’s close-range effort.
Match Insights and Team Performance
This match marked Real Madrid’s first setback in the Champions League this season after securing three victories in their previous games alongside draws against Olympiacos and Manchester City. Regarding his noteworthy save against Szoboszlai, Courtois shared insights on Movistar, explaining:
“You must occupy space. Szoboszlai was unmarked, and if I remained on my line, it would have been akin to conceding a penalty, nearly impossible to stop. I considered going for the cross, but it seemed too risky. At two meters tall with my long arms, I had to give it my all to make myself larger. Admittedly, it wasn’t textbook goalkeeping, but it was effective.”
The Belgian keeper also candidly admitted that his team fell short in their offensive third and struggled in individual battles throughout the match, offering statistical insight with Real Madrid registering an expected goals (xG) of just 0.45, in stark contrast to Liverpool’s 2.58. He stated:
“Our possession in their half was limited, which is crucial for us. We need to enhance our away performance against tough opponents. We could have done better. Such matches are often decided by fine margins, and that was evident today. We must maintain our composure; if we win against Olympiacos, we’ll still be in a good position to qualify for the next round.”
Looking Ahead
Last month, Real Madrid celebrated a significant win against Barcelona in El Clásico. However, under the management of Xabi Alonso, they have experienced losses to prominent teams including Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, and now Liverpool. In light of the defeat, Alonso remarked:
“There are various ways to lose, and today’s match was quite different from the 5-2 loss at the Metropolitano against Atlético. Our effort was commendable, with good attitude and competitiveness on display. We do need to address certain aspects to improve.”
