"Loading up another 2022 UCL run", "Absolutely nothing without him" - Fans hail star as 10-man Real Madrid defeat Pachuca in Club World Cup clash

Real Madrid fans singled out goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for praise after his impressive performance for the side against Pachuca. The Spanish giants picked up their first win of the FIFA Club World Cup, defeating the Mexican outfit 3-1 to momentarily go top of Group H.

Courtois retained his place between the sticks for Xabi Alonso's side after featuring in the 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal in the opening game. Turkish youngster Arda Guler was the only change to the XI for the game, replacing Rodrygo, who had to settle for a place on the bench.

Alonso failed to engineer a win in his first game in charge of Los Blancos but managed to put things right in his second, largely due to the performance of Courtois in goal. The Belgium international came up clutch for his side, who were reduced to ten men within seven minutes of the game.

Courtois' performance did not go unnoticed to the Real Madrid fans, and a number of them took to X to praise the former Chelsea man.

A fan predicted that the goalkeeper is hitting the form he did in 2022 to help his side win the UEFA Champions League.

"courtois is loading up another 2022 UCL run", they wrote.

Another fan declared him to be the best goalkeeper in the world.

"For me, Courtois is the best goalkeeper in the world.", they opined.

Another fan pointed out that his presence is what helps Real Madrid enjoy success in recent years.

"Real Madrid are absolutely nothing without Courtois, he's been the world's best goalkeeper for years now. He’s just too good 😭😭", they posted.

A fan praised the goalkeeper for his performance, pointing out that he is often taken for granted by fans.

"Another great performance by Courtois. People try to forget it (including me). We've taken him for granted and almost always expect him to do that without the praise while pointing out his negatives at the first opportunity we get. Singlehandedly kept us in the game at the start.", they wrote.

A fan designated the game as a Courtois masterclass.

"This is a Courtois masterclass btw", they posted.

Thibaut Courtois was called into action severally by the Pachuca players as he faced 25 shots, 11 of which were on target. The Real Madrid man made ten saves, setting a record for most saves in a single game in FIFA Club World Cup history.

Real Madrid overcome Pachuca despite early red card

Ten-man Real Madrid were too strong for Liga MX side Pachuca despite playing most of the game a man short. The European giants claimed a convincing 3-1 win to return to winning ways in Group H, having drawn their opener.

A last man foul earned Raul Asencio a red card after just seven minutes but Los Blancos weathered the storm that followed. They took the lead after 35 minutes through Jude Bellingham before Arda Guler added a second two minutes before the break.

Federico Valverde added his name to the scoresheet in the 70th minute to put them 3-0 up after a sweeping move from back to front. Pachuca laboured heavily and received their reward in the 80th minute when Elias Montiel finally beat Thibaut Courtois with a deflected shot. Xabi Alonso's side held on to claim the win despite their red card, laying down a marker for the other teams in the competition.

Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen