Courtois: “We should have closed the game earlier"

Courtois, who once again delivered an outstanding performance in Europe, spoke after Real Madrid's victory over Inter Milan at the Bernabéu: “In the end, you're playing against a great opponent. Inter is one of the best teams in Europe in recent seasons, and they showed it today as well. I think the match could have ended 4-4 on either side if it had to, and it was a tough game where we capitalized on their mistakes and didn't concede until very late. We should have closed the game earlier, and that cost us to suffer at the end.”

End-to-end matches
“The ones who suffer the most are the midfielders, as they run even more. We lacked a bit of control when we saw there wasn’t a clear opportunity. At that point, it's better to go back, keep possession a bit, and stay calm, because we lost the ball and had to retreat again. The match got too chaotic towards the end of the second half, and I think that's something to improve on.”

What phase is the team in right now?
“I think we're doing pretty well. Against Betis, it was a game we should have won, but we lacked the goal, and today it was a bit the same. We took advantage of their two mistakes, but then in open chances, we lacked scoring that extra goal, and it was the same against Betis. We're playing well and need to keep improving. Rayo is coming up, and they’re always a tough opponent for us, so we need to win.”

Save against Çalhanoğlu
“I didn’t move because, unfortunately, Rashford scored against me at my near post in El Clásico. He struck it very well, but it’s true that I moved a bit. Then in the World Cup, when Lamine Yamal had a free kick, I knew he would go for my near post because, of course, he would remember that goal. So, I stayed in the middle, and with Çalhanoğlu it was the same. It’s about not moving, and if he hits it and places it in the top corner, then we congratulate him.”

Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.