Thibaut Courtois enjoyed Haaland battle with Manchester City on Wednesday evening. The Real Madrid goalkeeper saw the battle with the British top club as a final. He also found that Erling Haaland had been expertly rendered harmless.
Satisfied Courtois explains Haaland plan for ‘early final’
“This was a very nice match,” said the Belgian afterwards with a smile on his face. “You felt the tension, the adrenaline and there was a great atmosphere. We enjoyed it. We became football players for these matches.”
Courtois saw Vinícius Júnior Real Madrid take the lead, but was beaten in the second half by Kevin De Bruyne. The goalkeeper’s fellow countryman hammered the ball hard past Courtois, so that the cards for the return were far from shaken. “Of course, after that lead we wanted to win. Only a draw is not bad. They also have qualities, especially with those long shots. Everything is still possible. We consider these matches as an early final. Hopefully we can win it,” he said.
“Were we reluctant? No,” Courtois replied. “It has to do with Haaland’s strength. He would like to look for free spaces in the back of the defence. Find depth. We tried to avoid that. They couldn’t find those passes tonight.”
Courtois saw Haaland being perfectly shadowed by David Alaba and Antonio Rüdiger in particular. The Norwegian did not get further than twenty ball contacts, less than City goalie Ederson. He analysed, “Haaland never came into his power. He is less dangerous if he cannot touch the ball. We defended well, we have to do that again next week.”
De Bruyne close to the last step: “Then he can compete with Modric, Xavi and Iniesta”
Kevin De Bruyne made his mark on Tuesday with a goal in the semi-finals of the Champions League. According to Jamie Carragher, the Manchester City Belgian is not far from being one of the best midfielders of all time.
“If he can be the man to take them to the Champions League, the treble, it will take him to another level,” Carragher said. “We don’t question his abilities, but we always judge players in the biggest moments, the biggest tournaments.”
“That’s why I compared him to Luka Modric before the game – he’s won the Ballon d’Or, five European cups and played in the World Cup final,” Carragher told CBS Sports. “With Kevin, if they make it to the final, we’re not just talking about one of the best midfielders of his generation, but one of the best midfielders we’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’ve seen much better midfielders and I’ve been watching football for thirty or forty years. I don’t think I’ve seen a better passer, but he just needs that Champions League. He’s got to have that cup and he’s got to be the guy who has a big part. Then he can compete with Iniesta, Xavi and Modric.”
