Courtois on penalty drama: Atleti ‘always crying’

Alex KirklandRodrigo FaezMar 13, 2025, 06:27 AM ETReal Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois hit out at Atlético Madrid’s complaints over their penalty shootout defeat in the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday, accusing the club of “victimhood” and “always crying about things like this.”Conor Gallagher’s early goal at the Metropolitano saw Atlético win the second leg 1-0 — after Real triumphed 2-1 at the Bernabéu last week — to force extra time.In the penalty shootout which followed, Julián Álvarez’s spot kick was disallowed after a VAR check determined that the star forward had touched the ball twice, with Real taking the shootout 4-2.Speaking afterwards, Atlético coach Diego Simeone insisted that “the ball doesn’t move” and challenged journalists in a news conference to “raise your hands” if they’d seen Álvarez touch it twice.”It’s bad luck for [Álvarez], but it can happen,” Courtois said. “For UEFA, it’s clear. I’m sick of this victimhood, always crying about things like this. Referees don’t want to benefit one team or another, not in Spain and not in Europe. For them, it was clear. With the technology, in the VAR room they saw it clearly. They have a lot of cameras and a lot of images.”Editor’s Picks2 RelatedCourtois suggested Simeone should look instead at his team’s approach over the 90 minutes, after Gallagher had put them ahead with just 27 seconds on the clock.”If you’re 1-0 up from the first minute and then you don’t try to look for the second goal, I think that’s where they got the game wrong,” Courtois said.Atlético have never eliminated Real Madrid in the Champions League, losing the 2014 and 2016 finals to their local rivals, as well as the 2017 semifinals.The two teams are also battling to win LaLiga and the Copa del Rey, with just a point separating them in the league table, and both in the cup semifinals.