The defining moment of the first 60 minutes of the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Liverpool was the legendary performance of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois against a barrage of attacks from the Anfield side.
Ten minutes into the game, Courtois made a save from Alexis Mac Allister, then another from Hugo Ekiteke in the 16th minute, before producing perhaps one of the best saves of his career, denying Dominik Szoboszlai in a one-on-one situation in the 28th minute.
Eight minutes later, Szoboszlai unleashed a thunderous shot from outside the penalty area, which Courtois again saved. The Hungarian star tried his luck again in the 43rd minute with a low shot, but the Belgian goalkeeper was equal to the task once more.
At the start of the second half, Virgil van Dijk almost opened the scoring with a header from inside the six-yard box, but unsurprisingly, Courtois made another excellent save. He then made another seemingly impossible save from a header.
In the 61st minute, just as despair seemed to be settling in for Liverpool and the Anfield crowd, Alexis Mac Allister reappeared, finally breaking the deadlock with a powerful header from inside the penalty area.
رأسية ماك أليستر تهز شباك كورتوا 🥅🔴#دوري_أبطال_أوروبا | #ليفربول | #ريال_مدريد pic.twitter.com/pqK1h08wJ7
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) November 4, 2025
Courtois has a history of shining against Liverpool, most notably in the 2012 Champions League final when he was instrumental in Real Madrid’s victory thanks to Vinicius Junior’s goal and their historic triumph. Now, he’s repeating that feat at Anfield, even if the scoreline isn’t in his favor this time.
This time, Mac Allister, scoring his second goal in his second appearance against Real Madrid and Courtois, managed to break the legendary goalkeeper’s resistance and give Liverpool a well-deserved lead.
