Courtois credits Real Madrid’s late fightback and urges Vinicius to keep pushing

Thibaut Courtois turned in a decisive performance as Real Madrid came from behind to beat AEK Athens 3-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Belgium goalkeeper made three important saves in the first half to keep his side in the contest before Real Madrid completed a late turnaround in their fourth league-phase match.

The victory keeps Real Madrid in contention for a place in the top eight, which would secure automatic qualification for the last 16 under the competition’s new format.

“We knew it would be a complicated game because the opposition have a lot of intensity, and the atmosphere in the stadium was excellent,” Courtois told Marca. “They put us under a lot of pressure during the first 15 minutes.”

Real Madrid fell behind again after attempting to find a second goal, but responded quickly to restore parity at 2-2.

“We tried to score the second goal but could not do it, and then they scored,” Courtois said. “However, our reaction was good, and we managed to score the equaliser, 2-2, quickly.”

The goalkeeper said the ability to recover from difficult situations was central to Real Madrid’s identity, referring to another comeback against Roma.

“Believing until the end is part of this club’s DNA,” he added. “It is something beautiful, just as it was against Roma.”

Courtois also stressed the importance of collecting three points as Real Madrid pursue a top-eight finish. The club failed to reach those positions in either of the first two seasons played under the league-phase system.

“These are extremely important victories,” he said. “In theory, it is a match you have to win, but it is important for remaining in the fight for the top eight. We have to win and stay in that race, after we were unable to finish among the top eight in the previous two seasons.”

The result left Real Madrid second in the table on 12 points, behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference.

Courtois also offered support to Vinicius Jr, saying the entire Real Madrid squad continued to trust the Brazil forward despite the difficulties attackers face against teams defending in numbers.

“The whole team believes in him, and he has to keep trying,” Courtois said. “The opposition defend well and put two or three players in front of him. That is not easy for him, nor for Yan Diomande or Kylian Mbappe. We trust Vinicius, and competition is important.”