Following their humiliating defeat at the Bernabéu, Courtois didn’t mince words about his team’s performance. Arsenal, already holding a commanding 3-0 lead, could have ended the tie early, but Courtois saved Bukayo Saka’s bungled panenka. Saka later scored, and while Vinicius Jr. briefly leveled the score, Arsenal ultimately prevailed, with Gabriel Martinelli’s late goal sealing the victory. Courtois conceded Arsenal’s superiority, blaming his teammates’ lack of effort. He stated, “At halftime, we thought scoring first would open the tie. They scored first; we equalized, but we weren’t clinical enough. I don’t think Raya had to make many saves.”