1 week Ago By Louis Sealey
Thibaut Courtois following Real Madrid’s defeat to Arsenal (Picture: Getty)Thibaut Courtois has revealed the costly mistake he made during Real Madrid’s humbling Champions League quarter-final defeat to Arsenal.Champions League holders Real Madrid are on the verge of exiting the tournament after being thumped 3-0 by Arsenal on Tuesday night.Arsenal were on top in the first half but failed to break down Real Madrid, who beat Borussia Dortmund in last year’s Champions League final.
Declan Rice broke the deadlock with a brilliant free-kick, curling his strike around the four-man wall that Courtois had installed and into the back of the net.England midfielder Rice rifled home another free-kick just over ten minutes later to spark wild scenes inside the Emirates Stadium.Get personalised updates on Arsenal everydayWake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.Mikel Merino added Arsenal’s third as the Premier League side took a giant step towards reaching the Champions League semi-finals and knocking out the European champions.A dejected Courtois ‘took responsibility’ for Rice’s first free-kick as he ‘could have put an extra man’ in the wall but felt the four players in position would suffice.
Rice bends his first free-kick around Real Madrid’s wall (Picture: Getty)Given the speed and bend on Rice’s effort, an extra man may have proved futile but Courtois nevertheless felt responsible for Arsenal’s opener.‘I thought I’d positioned the wall well,’ Courtois told Movistar. ‘I usually put an extra man in.
‘I take responsibility for that. I could have put an extra man in, but I thought [Rice] wouldn’t get as much curl on it. Rice poses with his Player of the Match award (Picture: Getty)‘The second goal is a great goal but they were unnecessary fouls, when there was no danger.
Perhaps we shouldn’t make those fouls.’Speaking about Real Madrid’s defeat more generally, Courtois – one of the best goalkeepers in the world – added: ‘Arsenal are a strong team, especially at home.‘They press well, play between the lines and created many dangerous situations.
We held on well in the first half and created some openings but we forgot how to play in the second half.It was a painful night for Real Madrid (Picture: Getty)‘There was a bit of, I wouldn’t say panic, but we were not calm enough on the ball and then they scored two great free-kicks.’Rice, meanwhile, revealed after the game he was ‘going to cross’ the ball rather than shoot before his first goal against Real Madrid.
‘It’s been in the locker! But I’ve hit the wall too many times or it’s gone over the bar,’ he said.‘Originally we were going to cross, but I saw the wall and the goalkeeper’s position, so I thought for the first one, just go for it.‘It’s not hit me yet, because there’s the second leg to go and I’m excited, happy, over the moon.
In a few years, I think this will hit that what I did tonight was really special.’Mikel Arteta looked stunned when Rice put his second free-kick into the top corner and discussed the two goals in his post-match press conference.‘Declan has been very determined because we’ve told him over the last few months that we hadn’t scored a direct free kick since September 2021,’ he said.
‘It’s been a long time, so to score two goals of that quality and magnitude, from the same player who has never scored a free kick before in his career, what are the odds?’For more stories like this, check our sport page.Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram..
