Thibaut Courtois hailed young forward Carlos Espi after his decisive role in Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Espanyol on Saturday, the striker rifling home the winner in the 90th minute during the second round of the Spanish league.
The Belgian goalkeeper also hit out at what he called the unfair treatment of teammate Vinicius Junior, insisting Espanyol's Cala deserved to be sent off.
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On the flashpoints between Espanyol players and Vinicius, Courtois said inpress statements after the match: "Cala should have been sent off earlier, whether for his kick on Vinicius Junior or his tackle on Carreras, after he had been carrying a yellow card."
"As for Espanyol, you have to look at yourselves in the mirror first before talking about others," he continued. "It is very easy to judge things when you look at them from only one side."
Espi came on as a substitute in the 80th minute, and Courtois had nothing but praise for him: "He is a monster, sometimes I see him getting into battles with Konate and Rudiger during training. It is really impressive, we are very happy for him. The impact of a player coming off the bench can be just as strong as the impact of the players who start the match."
He added with a smile: "I call him Joselu Junior (little Joselu)," a nod to the former Real Madrid forward known for his decisive contributions off the bench.
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