Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper of Real Madrid, spoke in press statements after the victory over Marseille 2-1 in the first round of the Champions League group stage.

He said: "Winning these matches at home is a significant achievement. We learned that from last season when we lost here against Milan and Lille as well. It's important to start well, and in the end, we deserved to win fairly."

He added: "We created many chances, and the goals came from two penalties. Our performance deserved more. We created a lot of danger to score from open play instead of penalties. In the end, the match became complicated."

He emphasized: "The coach asked us to do the same after the break, but they pressed less and closed their lines. We were poor in handling the ball in the first 20 minutes of the second half, and we suffered more in the second half than in the first. A good win to start with."

Regarding the team's defensive work: "When you don't defend with eleven players, the whole team ends up defending... Xabi Alonso focuses heavily on ensuring that the wingers, Mbappe, and attacking midfielders quickly get back behind the ball, and that makes a big difference. This is the difference between them creating danger against you or not. We have performed well up until today, and this is the way forward. The coach also asks me to be more advanced, and this is what has changed compared to last year."