Courtois left fuming after 'sleeping' Real Madrid suffer Champions League defeat against RB Leipzig

Reigning champions of Europe Real Madrid suffered a shock 3-2 defeat against RB Leipzig on Tuesday, but the Los Blancos remain on top in Group F of the Champions League 2022-23. Carlo Ancelotti's men not only suffered their first campaign defeat but also conceded more than one goal for the first time this season. This shocking display of football at the Red Bull Arena, has forced goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to send a strong message to his teammates.

Josko Gvardiol scored Leipzig's opening goal in just 13 minutes and Chelsea target Christopher Nkunku followed suit with a striker in the 18th minute of the clash. Brazilian star Vinicius Junior scored a goal for the visitors just before halftime. In the second half,  Werner made it 3-1; in extra time, Rodrygo scored to make it 3-2.

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Courtois, who played his second game back from his sciatica injury, was not pleased with the team's defence in Germany and called out the players for their lack of intensity. "Today, we have not been good at all and I think we have lacked many things, a lot of intensity. We came out asleep, without intensity and without aggression," the Belgian told Movistar+ after the game.

"If someone is tired and can't give anymore, then they can't give anymore, but as a goalkeeper I've noticed that we've lost a lot of duels and that cannot be. It can't be that they score two goals from two corners and that's something we need to improve on. The coach had already warned us and I was afraid of it, we weren't in the match, we've lost duels and it's due to a lack of intensity," the Real Madrid star added.

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The most intriguing element is that Carlo Ancelotti contradicted his goalie in his press conference. The Real Madrid boss informed the media that everyone has the right to their own opinion, but he did not see any signs of indifference or lack of attitude. In recent times, Courtois has grown significantly in Madrid's public sphere. His comments about not getting enough respect after the Champions League final and on several occasions since then have given him a reputation as one of the more abrasive players in the Los Blancos' locker room.

"We found the game difficult because they really played on their strongest attribute, the counter-attack. We struggled to get into the game but we did so. We did our best to level it up and we came pretty close. I didn't see a lack of intensity or attitude. We were bound to lose a game sooner or later. It's a defeat that hurts, but perhaps less than others because we have another chance to finish top of the group," the Italian said.

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Real Madrid will compete to advance as group champions on the last matchday when they face Celtic at the Santiago Bernabéu on November 2. "You learn more from a defeat than from ten straight wins. We'll focus on the things we didn't do very well. We didn't defend set-pieces very well, that's where we conceded two goals. We're generally much better but these things happen. We didn't deliver the performance we hoped for. It was best to sit with a low block and hit them on the counter but it went exactly opposite to how we'd planned. We conceded twice and we should have played it differently," Ancelotti added.