Madrid, the reigning Champions League champions, came into the second leg trailing by three goals after a humbling defeat at the Emirates. ..Continue Reading
However, they couldn’t turn things around at home, falling 2-1 to Mikel Arteta’s in-form Arsenal side.
Bukayo Saka made amends for his earlier penalty miss by scoring the opener, before Vinicius Jr equalized. But Gabriel Martinelli struck late to seal the win and send the Gunners into the semi-finals.
Madrid looked blunt in attack, struggling to create real chances as stars like Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham failed to make an impact.
Their game plan also came under scrutiny, particularly for their repeated crosses into the box.
Courtois, who had saved Saka’s penalty in the first half, voiced his frustration post-match, questioning the team’s strategy.
He pointed to the absence of Joselu—a player who delivered vital moments in last season’s Champions League run—suggesting that Real lacked a proper target man for their crossing-heavy approach.
“We crossed a lot, but we didn’t have a player like Joselu,” he said. “Maybe we should have crossed less and tried other things. We need to be self-critical.
“We have to be self-critical, sometimes we need to play more as a team.”
On Ancelotti, he added: “We have ZERO doubt about Carlo Ancelotti.”
Courtois then admitted that Arsenal were the better team across the two legs.
“Arsenal were better than us, that’s why they’re through,” he said, before looking ahead for the rest of the campaign and beyond.
“We still have a long season ahead of us, the league, the final in ten days, and then the Club World Cup. We must be better.”
Real Madrid will turn their attention to the La Liga as they sit in second place, four points behind league leaders Barcelona, with seven league matches remaining of the season.
Madrid also have a Copa del Rey final against Barca, not to mention this summer’s Club World Cup.
