Real Madrid News
Real Madrid superstar reflects on ‘unlucky’ error vs Liverpool, urges team to keep fighting
It was one-way traffic in the second half at Anfield as Real Madrid put three goals beyond Liverpool to register an emphatic 5-2 win over the Premier League side. The Merengues needed a bit of luck to get going but did not look back once they were on track.
Thibaut Courtois did not have the most memorable of outings on the night, gifting one goal away and making just two saves in the game.
He spoke to the media after the full-time whistle and gave his views on various facets of the game. Here are the snippets from his media interaction.
The Belgian shot-stopper began his interview by remembering Amancio Amaro, Real Madrid’s honorary president, who passed away earlier in the day.
“First of all, we’d like to dedicate the victory to Amancio, we’ve lost a legend,” the Belgian said.
Courtois made one of the biggest mistakes of his Real Madrid career in the first period when he gifted Liverpool a second goal with a loose pass. The goalkeeper explained the events that led to the unfortunate goal on the night.
“I was a little unlucky, but that’s okay. It was a bit of a difficult pass from Carvajal, I controlled it well and tried to pass it, but I saw Salah stand still. It bounced on my knee and well, it’s bad luck,” he said.
Courtois then spoke about how the men in white put pressure on the hosts with their opener and reflected on Alisson making a similar error in goal at the other end.
“We knew we could hurt them and Vini’s first goal gave us breathing space. The same thing happened to Alisson and we went in at half-time level. We had some counterattacks and we know that we could cause them problems and that’s how we won the game today.”
Real Madrid are perhaps the world’s best team in knockout ties as they always find a way to channel their strengths and pull off a comeback. The shot-stopper highlighted the confidence in his team and revealed that the players did not once feel overwhelmed.
“We always have the ability to react. Looking for something good in the midst of a bad situation, maybe that goal helped us to respond. My teammates also told me not to worry. Everyone knows we have plenty to play with and plenty of goals, and that’s how it worked out.”
Courtois has played at Anfield several times before in the Premier League during his time with Chelsea. However, he maintained that Tuesday night was a special experience, saying:
“It’s always a pleasure to play here, especially in the Champions League. It’s the first time I’ve played here in the Champions League, I’ve played here in the league but it’s different.”
Despite seeing their home team lose embarrassingly, the fans at Anfield applauded Karim Bezema and Luka Modric for their spectacular display on the night. Courtois made a special mention of the same.
“There was a good atmosphere today and they know how to appreciate what Modrić and Benzema are doing and that’s why they applaud them. That’s the nice thing, they know how to appreciate good football.”
While a three-goal lead sounds invincible, the world has seen bigger comebacks in the past. With an example, the Real Madrid man explained that his side needed to stay grounded.
“Madrid are always going to fight until the end. Liverpool are not the team of last year, they are more vulnerable at the back and we saw that today. But we haven’t qualified yet and anything can happen with the new rule, it happened last year with Chelsea.”
Finally, Courtois encouraged his team to keep fighting on all fronts and insisted that Real Madrid would always be favourites, irrespective of the competition or schedule.
“We’re not going to sit back, there are some very important games coming up and we have to carry on with the pace. There are still a lot of top teams in contention, but Madrid will always be one of the favourites.”
Source: Real Madrid official website
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
