Thibaut Courtois pulled off a series of great saves for Real Madrid at Balaídos vs Celta. As always, he was one of the best players on the pitch and helped Real Madrid a lot to keep the result safe in many cases. At the end of the match the goalkeeper spoke about the importance of the three points for his side and pointed out how the game vs Celta was not easy at all.
He said: “They’re really important. Celta are always tough to play against at their ground. All the games I’ve played here it’s been tough. I don’t know if we deserved to win, because in the first half I made a couple of good saves. We then went into their area and got three penalties. All three were (penalties) and that’s all there is to it”.
“Celta move the ball around really well and play with a lot of intensity. In the first half we didn’t put them under enough pressure. They played through the centre and dominated, but in the end, we pulled it off. They’re three very important points. We’ve got the Champions League on Wednesday and we have to keep going”, the Belgian added.
About the penalty incidents: “I saw the first and the second. It was hard to see the third from my goal, but if you put your foot in, then … We’ve had penalties like that given against us too. It’s the first time in ages that we’ve had three penalties in one game”.
Offside against Aspas: “He heads it, I make a good save onto the post. Iago’s offside and then prevents Alaba from clearing the ball. That’s offside, he understands that and there’s no problem. We go into Wednesday’s game in good form. Chelsea lost at home today and we have to be really strong for Wednesday. It’ll be a different game. We have to give more on Wednesday. We can’t let our intensity slip, because we know how to play”.
After Courtois it was Valverde who had something to say: “This is a difficult place to take three points!”
“We’re thrilled. We knew it was going to be difficult. Celta are very tough opposition, it’s a hard place to come. It’s not easy to win here. Now we have to enjoy it and rest up ahead of the Chelsea game. We knew they play very well in the middle of the park and we would have to work to have the ball in there. We created a lot of chances we didn’t take but we scored the penalties and won it, which is the most important thing”.
Courtois and Benzema: “They’re hugely important for us. Ideally they don’t get that far and Thibaut doesn’t have much to do but it’s great to have him there because he’s a phenomenal player and a great guy. Karim has shown it time and again. He’s got the class and the bravery all great players have. Karim is one of them for sure. Sometimes when you miss, you can go missing, but he stands up and doesn’t hide in adversity”.
His form: “To be honest I’m a little tired from so much travelling, they’re long trips, several hours and sometimes it’s difficult to sleep properly. But I’m prepared for what’s to come and to carve out my place in the starting eleven. The Uruguay coach was joking with the falcon thing, then my Uruguay teammates jumped on it. I think the ‘little bird’ has grown into a falcon. I feel ready mentally and physically to show my character here in Madrid”.
Chelsea: “It’s a chance for us to get revenge after last year. We’ve got the players, the hunger and motivation to achieve our goal”.
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