Sunday’s Madrid derby at the Civitas Metropolitano will be remembered for years to come as one of the most heated atmospheres the game has seen.
The proceedings, after all, had to be suspended for a staggering 17 minutes on the night after objects were hurled at Thibaut Courtois for celebrating Real Madrid’s opener.
Players moved off the field fearing the safety of the Belgian goalkeeper whose celebration of Eder Militao’s goal did not go down well with the Atletico Madrid faithful.
Diego Simeone’s conversation with Courtois
As revealed in a recent update by AS, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone approached the Real Madrid shot-stopper when the referee asked players to enter the dressing room to reprimand him for complaining to the official.
Simeone believed that if Courtois had just taken the goal kick as usual, the anger would have fizzled out and diffused the tension in the stands.
Courtois, however, would hear none of it and replied sternly to the Atletico Madrid manager, saying:
“What did you want, that I stay there with everything they were throwing at me?”
Eventually, the players returned to the field after over 15 minutes and continued the game from where it had been paused with Real Madrid in the lead.
Los Blancos defended well and looked set to take three points but Angel Correa had other plans.
Latching onto a late ball from Javi Galan, the Argentine forward skilfully made his way past Courtois and bundled it over the line, bringing joy to the Civitas Metropolitano and breaking the hearts of the Real Madrid faithful across the globe.
Simeone was critical of Courtois during his post-match press conference as well, as he said:
“We all have to help. The people who threw those lighters, as also happened at the Bernabeu when Courtois was our player and he received a lighter on his head, are not doing well.
“But we, the protagonists, probably don’t help either when we underestimate people, we burden people, we provoke people and people get angry.”