"Saved us from more humiliation", "Without him, match would’ve ended 5-0" - Fans react to Real Madrid star's showing in loss to Arsenal

Fans online lauded Thibaut Courtois’ performance in the first leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League quarterfinal clash with Arsenal on Tuesday. The Belgian shotstopper displayed brilliance between the sticks despite his side being trashed 3-0 at the Emirates.

The game began with an end-to-end affair as both teams made forays into each other's penalty areas. Real Madrid looked to have the first clear chance to open the scoring when Vinicius Jr. latched onto a misplaced pass by Bukayo Saka and raced forward, but his subsequent daisy-cutter was blocked by William Saliba.

Los Blancos goalkeeper Courtois was the first to be tested on the night when Thomas Partey unleashed a strike in the 12th minute. While the Gunners had most of the ball, Real Madrid also had their own share of chances. Courtois, meanwhile, made sure the scoreline remained level before the break when he made two big saves on the stroke of halftime.

Just like the first half, Arsenal came out with more determination, and they got the deserved lead two minutes shy of the hour mark, courtesy of Declan Rice. Saka was brought down by David Alaba outside the penalty area, and Rice stepped up and sent the resulting free-kick past the outstretched arm of Courtois.

Mikel Arteta’s men kept cranking up the pressure and could have doubled their lead in the 68th minute, but Courtois’ sensational double saves to deny Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino kept Los Blancos alive.

With 20 minutes of play, Real Madrid saw themselves trailing by two goals after midfielder Rice sent a stationary ball into the right corner after the Gunners won another free-kick. Merino put the game to bed in the 75th minute, slotting home a pass from Myles Lewis-Skelly.

While Arsenal’s victory would have come as a surprise to many, the 15-time UCL champions would be thankful to head back to Bernabeu, conceding only three goals. Their woes would have been worsened if not for Courtois' double saves on difference occasions. Altogether, Courtois made a total of five saves in the match, four of which were from inside the box. He received a rating of 7.2 as per Sofascore.

After the match, fans took to social media to praise Courtois for his heroics in goal, with one writing:

‘‘Courtois saved us from more humiliation. That Alaba na bad luck.''

Another tweeted:

‘‘Without Courtois, the match would’ve ended 5-0.''

‘‘Thank God for Courtois this game should have ended 5-0,'' @biyispost wrote.

‘‘The worst part is that without Courtois, we would have lost at least 5-0 😂,'' @totalcristiano quipped.

‘‘I mean, Courtois actually kept the scoreline respectable there...,'' @andc_o added.

“We forgot to play our game’’ – Thibaut Courtois on Real Madrid after 3-0 defeat to Arsenal

After the match, Real Madrid’s No. 1 Courtois assessed their 3-0 loss at the Emirates. The Belgian shotstopper claimed Arsenal are a strong side at home and praised them for playing good football.

He added that his side's approach to the game in the second half cost them the defeat. Courtois told the media in the post-match press conference (via the club’s website):

“Arsenal are a strong side at home, they play good football and carried a real threat. We dealt with it well in the first half and created chances with a series of counters. But we forgot to play our game in the second period, we left people in a lot of space and weren't composed on the ball. They scored two stunning free-kicks and after the third, we didn't react well."

Arsenal and Madrid will play the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie at Santiago Bernabeu on April 16.