Thibaut Courtois finished euphoric the Champions League match against Atlético de Madrid. After a hard-fought battle, Real Madrid ended up winning in the penalty shootout, securing a spot in the next round of the competition. In the mixed zone, the Belgian goalkeeper didn't hold back and replied harshly to his former coach from a few years ago, clearly accusing him of being a victim and a crybaby.
Thibaut Courtois, Harsh Response to Simeone
Asked in the mixed zone about the VAR intervention in Julián Álvarez's penalty, Thibaut Courtois was clear. He didn't find it amusing that, minutes earlier, Simeone was putting on a show in the press conference, shouting and asking if any journalist had seen the Argentine's double touch.
"I'm always tired of that victim mentality, always crying over things like that. The referees don't want to favor a team either in Spain or in Europe, they saw it clearly and called it that way. They are human and with technology, they saw it clearly. If you're winning 1-0 in the first minute and don't look for the second, that's where their game failed," Courtois stated.
Speaking about how he prepared for the shootout, he said: "We talked about what we did this week and then it depends on the forward... Sorloth has always changed when he shot, I thought he was going to change. With Julián, I was unsure, I didn't think he would shoot down the middle. We didn't have information on Llorente, but I remember that in training he liked to shoot to the right and he hit a rocket that went out."
Moments earlier, on Movistar, Courtois also stated: "In the end, it's a lottery, I felt it touched twice and I told the referee. It's not easy to see and it's bad luck for them. Then it was bad luck for me with Correa's that I couldn't save. We didn't play our best game, but we've advanced and that's what's important."
Courtois, Ready for What's Next
In any case, Courtois is clear that now it's only about looking forward. Real Madrid is still alive in the Champions League and Simeone can cry all he wants. The next tie will be against Arsenal, while in the rest of the competitions, they are fighting for everything. The treble is a possibility for the Merengues, who are eager to keep winning to try to win it all.
Meanwhile, Simeone's team seems to be losing steam and now they play everything in the coming days against Barcelona. Almost nothing.