Thibaut Courtois slams Real Madrid team-mates and gives Arsenal verdict after humiliation
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois slammed his team-mates following the humbling by Arsenal as Los Blancos crashed out in the Champions League quarter-final after losing at the Bernabeu
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois didn't hold back on his assessment of his team's performance as they were dumped out of the Champions League by Arsenal.
The Gunners, coming into the second leg with a commanding 3-0 lead from the first-leg at the Emirates, could have buried the contest early in the Bernabeu if it weren't for Courtois' stop of Bukayo Saka's awful Panenka attempt.
Saka eventually did get his goal, slotting calmly past Courtois. Shortly after, Vinicius Jr capitalised on a William Saliba mishap to pull one back for Real. The home side began looking to press for another goal, only to be denied by Arsenal, who kept them at bay before Gabriel Martinelli sealed the night with an added time winner.
Courtois admitted post-match to Spanish media that Arsenal were the better team across both legs and hit out at his team-mates' effort.
The Belgian said: "At half-time we felt that if we had scored the first goal the tie would have been open, in the end they found the first goal, we tied it quickly, you keep believing but we weren't successful up front, I don't think (David) Raya had to make a single great save. We lost against a superior Arsenal and we have to accept it.
"In the end, they're a team that defends well, is well organised, presses well, and it's difficult to find space. We put in a lot of crosses, but this year we don't have Joselu, a natural striker up front.
"We have to analyse carefully what we can do better. We have a lot of season ahead of us, we have the League on the line, the Cup in ten days, and then the Club World Cup. We thank the fans. Thinking about a comeback was great, and I hope we can bring them some joy this season."
Despite Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti now under increasing pressure, Courtois insisted he has the full backing of the squad. "There's no problem there, we have no doubts about the manager. It's up to us on the pitch to do what he asks of us."
Ancelotti faced the scrutiny after the match, he told the media: "The team tried. We weren't able to change things around. Arsenal deserve it. There are two sides to football: the happy side that we experienced for several years, now it's our turn to experience the sad side."
On his future, Ancelotti replied: "My future? I don't know, and I don't want to know.
"We've come a fantastic way over the years. Let's see what happens next year. I don't know what's going to happen and I don't want to know. There is time for this."