Playmaker Courtois! Real Madrid keeper completed more passes than the double pivot in 4-3 Roma thriller
Thibaut Courtois has long been one of the finest shot-stoppers in world football, but at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday night he briefly became something else: Real Madrid's most productive passer. The statistic that has gone viral since full time tells its own story about a wild Champions League evening in Rome.
Details: During the first half of Real Madrid's Champions League match at Roma on October 14, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois completed 19 passes, more than Federico Valverde (16) and Aurélien Tchouaméni (17). Madrid went on to win 4-3 after trailing 3-1, scoring three times in the final seven minutes through Carlos Espí (83'), Endrick (85') and Antonio Rüdiger (90'), with Kylian Mbappé having equalised in his 100th Champions League match (25') after Marten de Roon's opener (20').
According to the data, the Belgian goalkeeper completed 19 passes in the first half, more than either of Madrid's starting double pivot, Federico Valverde (16) and Aurélien Tchouaméni (17). For 45 minutes, José Mourinho's men were squeezed out of central areas so completely by Gasperini's man-marking system that their own keeper was orchestrating play.
The image becomes even more remarkable given how the night ended. Madrid trailed 3-1 after Donyell Malen's second-half brace and were heading for defeat, only to score three times in the final seven minutes. Carlos Espí, Endrick and Antonio Rüdiger all found the net, with Arda Güler delivering both late set-piece assists, completing a 4-3 comeback for the ages.
Kylian Mbappé had earlier marked his 100th Champions League appearance with a 25th-minute equaliser after Marten de Roon's opener, the Frenchman reaching 72 goals in the competition and climbing to fifth on its all-time scoring list. Yet even his milestone was overshadowed by the surreal sight of Madrid's pass map featuring their goalkeeper at its heart.
It is worth noting that the win keeps Madrid perfect in the league phase after their opening victory over Inter Milan, arriving at a crucial moment for a side dealing with Vinicius Junior's four-match domestic ban and a mounting injury list. Courtois, meanwhile, earned a new title in Madrid: goalkeeper by trade, playmaker by necessity.
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Miguel Solomons
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