Thibaut Courtois Frustrated With Real Madrid’s Defending As La Liga Champions Suffer 1st Defeat of the Season

Thibaut Courtois Frustrated With Real Madrid’s Defending As La Liga Champions Suffer 1st Defeat of the Season

Byron Pillay
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:15 PM
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  • Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season and conceded more than 1 goal for the first time this season
  • Thibaut Courtois was critical of his side's performance against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League
  • Leipzig were 2-0 up within the first 20 minutes of the game, as they gave Los Blancos no chance to settle

Thibaut Courtois is not happy with Real Madrid’s defending.

The Spanish side suffered their first defeat of the season as they were beaten 3-2 by RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League.

Thibaut Courtois, Frustrated, Real Madrid, Defending, La Liga Champions, Suffer, Defeat, Season, Sport, World, Soccer, UEFA Champions League
Thibaut Courtois has blamed Real Madrid's lack of intensity for their defeat to RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League. Image: TF-Images.
Source: Getty Images

It was also the first time in the season that Los Blancos conceded more than one goal. Speaking after the game, Courtois blamed the lack of intensity from the team for the defeat, Football Espana reported.

“We came out asleep, without intensity and without aggression,” he said.

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The keeper, who was returning to the team after an injury layoff, added that they lost duels during the game, something they couldn’t let happen in future. He also criticised the side for conceding two goals from corners, describing it as something they needed to work on.

Real had already qualified for the round of 16 before the game, but the manner of defeat would still be a bitter pill to swallow.

Leipzig opened the scoring

BBC noted that Leipzig came out all guns blazing as they took the lead in the 13th minute through Josko Gvardiol. Christopher Nkunku put them 2-0 up just five minutes later, as they never gave the Spanish side a break.

Vinícius Júnior grabbed a goal back for Real before the half-time break, but Timo Werner restored the two-goal advantage in the 81st minute. Rodygro did convert a penalty in the dying minutes of the game, but it was a little too late for the defending champions.

Leipzig ends Real Madrid's unbeaten run with an impressive win

Leipzig earned an impressive 3-2 victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League, to inflict the holders' first defeat of the season and flex their muscles ahead of a decisive showdown against Shakhtar Donetsk next week.

The German side will qualify for the last 16 with a draw against the Ukrainians in the final group match on November 2.

The record 14-time winners had already sealed passage to the next round but were outplayed at the Red Bull Arena.

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Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
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