Jude Bellingham criticised by Real Madrid team-mate for 'unnecessary' error vs Arsenal

Real Madrid goalkeeper has pointed the finger at team-mates and for giving away 'unnecessary fouls' in . Two sublime free-kicks from helped give the upper hand in the quarter-final clash.

Gunners midfielder Rice made pay from two dead-ball situations, the first of which came after Alaba had fouled . Just 12 minutes later, Saka drew a foul from team-mate Bellingham and Rice converted the free-kick once again.

Courtois, who's considered one of the best goalkeepers in the , was beaten all ends up both times. But the Belgian says that both of Rice's goals were avoidable prior to Mikel Merino . During a post-match interview with , Courtois said: "Declan Rice scored two great goals. They're two unnecessary fouls. Maybe they shouldn't be committed.

"They (Arsenal) press well. They play between the lines. In the first half, we knew how to counter-attack. We lost control. There was no calm with the ball. I wouldn't say it was panic, but it was nervousness."

Both Bellingham and Alaba have been criticised for their performances on a night to forget for Los Blancos. Bellingham lost the most duels (10) of any player in the match while Alaba had a torrid time up against Saka.

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Courtois did, however, admit that he should've set up his wall better for Rice's first goal. "I thought I had set up the wall well. I even added one more man. Maybe I could have added another," the 32-year-old explained.

"But I didn't expect so much curve. If we score two quick goals at the Bernabeu, the third can come by itself. We have to learn. We can't allow more mistakes. Every detail counts."

Bellingham echoed Courtois' sentiment ahead of next Wednesday's second leg which takes place in Madrid. "We were nowhere near it," Bellingham told . "That's the fact and Arsenal were really good. I know two of their goals were free-kicks but they could have had way more.

Will Real Madrid produce a comeback in the second leg? Give us your prediction in the .

"There is a second leg and that's what we're holding on to. We need something really special, something crazy really but one place where crazy things happen is our house. Ninety more minutes at home to pull something out of the bag.

"They're two great pieces of individual quality and if it wasn't for them, they still have other chances. We got punished and that happens at top-level football. In these games, you need to create more.

"Very rarely do you come to a place like this, score one goal and take your lead back home. They reacted really well to the transition. We didn't do enough on the ball to threaten. We're still alive, we've got 90 minutes of football and anything can happen at the Bernabeu."

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