Thibaut Courtois said Genuine Madrid was “overwhelmed” and was “truly unfortunate” to lose 1-0 to Barcelona in their Copa del Rey elimination round first leg on Thursday.
An own objective from Eder Militao in the main half – – the ball bouncing back off the protector into the net, after goalkeeper Courtois had saved Franck Kessie’s shot – – was sufficient to give Barca the success at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the second leg to come at Camp Nou on April 5.
“We overwhelmed the game today,” Courtois told TVE after the match. “[Barcelona] was very cautious. We were unfortunate to yield the objective. They won the ball, I saved [the shot] and it bounced back off Militao and went in. They were driving when they didn’t have the right to.
“It was difficult as far as we were concerned to make possibilities. It was troublesome, we played a decent game, and we were in charge, yet we didn’t find the opportunity. They shielded well.”
Barcelona is pursuing a homegrown association and Cup twofold, while Madrid is hoping to cut into the pioneer’s important lead at the highest point of La Liga and pivot the Copa elimination round.
Despite controlling belonging and constraining Barca to protect, Madrid couldn’t gather a shot on track themselves, yet mentor Carlo Ancelotti lauded his group’s exhibition.
“It was a decent game. We made arrangements for a serious game and we got it,” Ancelotti said in his postmatch news gathering. “We squeezed them a great deal. We might have been exceptional in the last third, however, it was troublesome, and there wasn’t a lot of room.
“We went outside with a lot of crosses, yet at the back, they’re areas of strength for exceptionally the air. It was the game we needed to play, clearly not the outcome, but rather it gives us certainty. We essentially need to rehash this game in Barcelona.
“We began and finished the game well. [The goal] was a singular slip-up, a terrible pass, they hit us on the counter and scored with a bounce back. It impacted the group a little.
“We’re happy with the game. You can’t necessarily in all cases control a group like Barcelona. Protectively, squeezing high, this was quite possibly Madrid’s best game.”
Madrid goes to Genuine Betis in La Liga on Sunday and hosts Espanyol at the next end of the week, before their Heroes Association round-of-16 second-leg game with Liverpool at the Bernabeu.
Notwithstanding the Copa del Rey second leg in April, Madrid likewise goes camping to Nou for a La Liga match on Walk 19.
