Thibaut Courtois explains how Real Madrid planned their third goal against Valencia
Real Madrid added another victory to take their winning run across all competitions to eight games as they beat Valencia 3-0 in their last league game. With this win, the Merengues are now second in the league table, level on points with the top-placed FC Barcelona, but the Blaugranes are yet to play in this matchday, as they will be facing Atletico Madrid today, on Sunday.
In addition to this win and the three points, another notable aspect from this game was the team’s defensive effort, which allowed them to keep another clean sheet. Thibaut Courtois was forced into making a crucial save early in the match, but afterwards, the hosts did not threaten his goal too much.
As Diario AS has reported, the Real Madrid goalkeeper also talked to the media after the match. While recognizing the importance of the goals scored by his team and the clean sheet, he was clear that it is the three points that actually matter:
“The victory is the most important thing. The goals, the clean sheet… everything counts. But winning is fundamental. It’s always difficult to play at Mestalla, even when they’re not doing well in the league.”
The Belgian veteran also talked about the save he had to make early in the game:
“As goalkeepers, we have to be a little pessimistic because a teammate might make a bad pass, so you have to stay alert. He struck it well and I pushed off well to get there and make the save. If they had scored from that chance… I was confident we could come back, but it’s better this way. All my teammates have told me that.”
After keeping two clean sheets in two league games, Courtois was looking forward to maintaining this level of defense after the international break:
“Above all, Nuno, the goalkeeping coach, wasn’t happy because we’d given away goals in a few matches. Conceding always leaves a bit of a bitter taste, and we always try to keep a clean sheet. It’s important not to concede. One goal can be enough to win, but it also helps the team’s momentum. We hope to maintain this run when we return.”
The Real Madrid goalkeeper also shared his opinion on his team’s three goals:
“They were very good goals. We already know what Fede’s shot is like. The second came from a good move by Arda, who arrived in the box. The manager asks us to get players into the area, and that’s what Arda did. As for the third, we’d discussed it beforehand. I looked for space behind him, and Arda provided a brilliant assist for Kylian.”
Thibaut Courtois would be one of the few Real Madrid players who will remain at the club during the upcoming international break, and hopefully, he will utilize this time to improve even further to help his team win some major trophies this season.
