Thibaut Courtois Delivers Scathing Criticism to Real Madrid Teammate: "Be Smarter"

Thibaut Courtois criticized Real Madrid colleague Raúl Asencio for repeating "the identical error twice" following the defender's red card dismissal during the FIFA Club World Cup victory against Pachuca.

Asencio conceded a crucial penalty as Los Blancos began their Club World Cup journey with a 1–1 draw versus Al Hilal. The young Spanish player then compounded matters with an early sending-off just seven minutes into the Pachuca encounter, forcing his side to play with ten men for nearly the complete match.

Courtois is well-known for his lack of tolerance and had no hesitation in openly advising Asencio to take lessons from the experience.

"Two matches and the identical error repeated," the shot-stopper told DAZN. "It might seem insignificant, but we must be more intelligent and avoid repeating such errors. He understands this, and there's no issue. We will support him and secure victory without him, and upon his return, we'll continue our winning ways."

Asencio had previously faced scrutiny for allowing what was considered a preventable penalty against Al Hilal, before subsequently grabbing and clutching at Pachuca forward Salomón Rondón's jersey—beyond the penalty area, fortunately—when the Venezuelan found himself alone against Courtois.

Oddly, Real Madrid TV utilized this situation to further their continuous criticism of La Liga officials regarding alleged unfair treatment in recent campaigns.

While supporting the decision to dismiss Asencio, the club's television network suggested that Club World Cup officials maintain higher standards, comparable to those officiating Champions League matches.

"Regarding the officiating, despite a Real Madrid player being sent off, I believed the refereeing was excellent," was stated on the broadcast. "We're witnessing standards similar to what we typically observe in the Champions League. It's enjoyable to watch a football match, I mention this with dual significance or otherwise. Not a single foul went unpunished, the instant there was a questionable action, we witnessed a red card."

Real Madrid have collected four points from their opening two Club World Cup fixtures and will secure knockout stage qualification by preventing defeat against Red Salzburg on the third matchday, June 26. A win in that fixture would ensure first place in the group table.

With Asencio serving his suspension, Dean Huijsen is expected to form the defensive partnership alongside Antonio Rüdiger, who made his substitute appearance against Pachuca for his initial playing time following knee surgery in April.