Thibaut Courtois Speaks Out On Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid Debut After Al-Hilal Draw
Trent Alexander-Arnold made his Real Madrid debut against Al-Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup opener on June 18. The former Liverpool superstar started as right-back in Xabi Alonso's first game in charge of the club.
Los Blancos had seven shots on target compared to Al-Hilal's two. However, the game ended 1-1 with Federico Valverde missing a penalty in injury time of the second half.
It wasn't a winning start for the Alonso era. Two players, though, made their debuts for the club in Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen, and Los Blancos goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois shared his verdict following the game. He said (via Real Madrid):
It's our first match together and it's not easy, but they did a good job and if there are things to work on, we'll look at that in the videos. It was a decent first game for them.
Courtois also delivered verdict on the team's performance in Alonso's first game in charge. He said:
We played too slowly in the first half and they looked the more likely. Then we got the goal and then gave away a silly penalty that levelled it up. In the second half we fixed things we needed to and looked a bit quicker, more agile.
He added:
We looked dangerous but it wasn't to be. It's a shame to miss the penalty, but if we keep up the way we did things in the second half, that will surely help us in the upcoming games. We were better in the second half and that's the line we have to follow.
Real Madrid still have two games remaining in the group stages of the Club World Cup. They take on Pachuca on June 22 and RB Salzburg on June 27.
The Latest Real Madrid News:
Real Madrid-Linked Defender Edging Closer To Liverpool Exit (Report)
Real Madrid Searching For 'Joselu-Style' Striker At Xabi Alonso's Request
PSG Head Coach Luis Enrique Gives Viral Reaction to Real Madrid Transfer Rumors
Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.