Jose Mourinho wasn’t sure whether he’d start Thibaut Courtois against Paris Saint-Germain.
Bet he’s glad he did now, as Courtois may’ve been the No. 1 reason that Chelsea didn’t leave Paris without a single point from the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 duel with PSG.
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And ex-Blues star David Luiz is feeling aggrieved by Mourinho’s choice as well. That’s because he thinks PSG should be heading into Stamford Bridge for March 11’s second leg with a decent lead in tow.
From Goal.com:“If it were not for the goalkeeper, we would have won easily,” the Brazilian, who played in an unorthodox midfield position against his former club, told Canal Plus. “Courtois was fantastic.”
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“We played well, although they had an opportunity and they scored from it,” Luiz added. “We should have won but I think we can still qualify for the quarterfinals. We can win there. We have a good team, a good coach and the right plan will be put in place to get a result. It will be a great return leg at Stamford Bridge.”
Courtois is living up to his billing as the world’s top young goalkeeper, and it won’t be long before he’s legitimately in the non-age-modified debate with Manuel Neuer as the best in the world. He’s three wins away from going to back-to-back UEFA Champions League finals with different clubs. Not bad.
