Real Madrid collected an El Clasico double on Saturday by winning 2-1.
Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos gave the hosts the lead early on, seeing them through all three points.
Thibaut Courtois stressed on how Real had to dig deep to get the victory at Madrid. The Galacticos already had an encouraging week, winning 3-1 against Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-final first leg. Now, they are top of the La Liga after another impressive performance.
Courtois said, “We had to dig in during the second half and we found it very tough but we held on, kept going and we did a good job. This team knows how to fight and we did just that today. We dug in and defended well as a unit.
“We did concede a few chances but I managed to stop them well. When the rain is coming down like that and you’re soaked, your hands and your arms are freezing, but in the end when you’re playing a match, the adrenaline is pumping and you focus and forget it.”
Real boss, Zinedine Zidane believed his team could have extended their lead to three or even four goals.
He said: “It was a complicated match. The first half was ours, but we also suffered then. Barcelona are really good team and they can find spaces with the technical skills of their players. But, we created chances and could have scored a third or fourth.
“This demanded a lot from us, but that’s normal against these kinds of teams. We’re at the limit, physically. But, this is football. We have to continue as we’ve not won anything yet. We’ll have very difficult matches ahead.”
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