Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has offered a critical assessment after they crashed out of the Champions League to Arsenal.
Goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli ensured that the tie escaped the reigning champions after much of the build-up to the second-leg was focused on the possibility of a comeback from Carlo Ancelotti's side.
The tie could have been over within the opening 15 minutes but Courtois was on-hand to deny the Gunners with Saka's penalty saved after Raul Asencio was penalised for a foul in the box.
However, Los Blancos offered little resistance with their only goal of the tie coming through Vinicius Jr after he picked the pockets of William Saliba before firing home.
And Courtois was critical over their lack of attacking threat at the top end of the pitch after struggling to break down the Gunners.
"In the end, they're a team that defends well, is well organised, presses well, and it's difficult to find space," he said.
"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."
"In the end, when a penalty is awarded against you, if you save it, you still have faith.
"At first, we created danger, and I could feel the fans. But Arsenal are a team that defends very well.
"It was very difficult to create danger. I felt that if we scored after the break, we could get behind… but they scored against us.
"We scored, we still had faith… But we couldn’t. Raya didn’t have to make any great saves. That’s the summary of the tie.
"It was hard to create play. They’re a team that defends well and presses well. It’s hard to find openings.”
