Real Madrid have had a great week. After the Champions League win against VfB Stuttgart, they also beat Espanyol 4-1 in La Liga on Saturday. However, Thibaut Courtois did not have such a good game this time around.
In fact, the week was very special for the Belgian goalkeeper. Indeed, between the two Real matches, his documentary “Courtois: the return of number 1” was screened in preview. It talks in particular about his rehabilitation last season. The documentary also presents many fragments of his private life and looks back on his entire career.
A busy week in the legs
The documentary, which can be seen on Amazon TV, was broadcast for the first time on Thursday evening. In addition to several Spanish celebrities, most of his Real teammates also attended the official premiere. Courtois indulged in the attention. But apparently the long and busy evening took its toll on him.
Against Espanyol, he had almost nothing to do in the first half. But after the break, things went wrong. From a seemingly harmless cross, Courtois hit the ball with his heel and deflected the ball into his own goal. Fortunately for the goalkeeper, his teammates managed to straighten things out.
Courtois is not an alien
His mistake therefore had no serious consequences, but the Spanish press was quite harsh. At SPORT, he only got a 4 out of 10. “Courtois showed that he was not an alien on the Espanyol goal, sending the ball into his own goal. He also had problems with another shot from Joffre, even if the action seemed easy,” we can read.
“He did the job he had to do well, but his own goal remains in the memory,” says Mundo Deportivo. Marca is relatively lenient. “After that mistake, Courtois also made a good save, his first important intervention. And even if that own goal could have cost him dearly, coach Ancelotti’s team managed to come back into the game,” says the Madrid daily.
Finally, El Desmarque gives him the lowest rating of all Real players with 4 out of 10. “Espanyol had not yet shot on goal when he put the ball into his own goal. The Catalans were not much more threatening after that.”
