Thibaut Courtois rubs salt in Man City wounds after Real Madrid comeback

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has stuck the boot into Manchester City after their 3-2 win at the Etihad by claiming they had more belief than Pep Guardiola's side.

City collapsed in yet another game this season as Jude Bellingham popped up with the winner in stoppage time to hand Madrid the advantage in the Champions League play-off tie, after Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz cancelled out Erling Haaland's brace.

Guardiola's men are having a difficult season after a torrid spell last year that saw them pick up one win from 13 matches and are still feeling the after-effects after some dismal results - including a 5-1 hammering by Arsenal.

Former Chelsea shot-stopper Courtois added insult to injury after Madrid's late victory, insisting their desire to win was stronger than City's.

"They are an offensive team," he told the media after the game. "It is better to win even if you have to concede goals. We played a good game, we conceded two goals with a bit of bad luck.

"We dominated the game and deserved to win. With the score at 2-1, the team believed in the draw and then came the 2-3 because we believed and felt stronger than them.

"We have to improve a little because the goal we conceded came from poor pressure. But we felt good on the pitch and calm enough to play our game. The penalty was a little light, but it was called. We continued to believe."

It is the latest game where City have surrendered a lead after going 2-0 up at Brentford in January, only to concede twice in the last ten minutes to come away with a 2-2 draw.

Just a week later they again went 2-0 up at PSG in the Champions League, before collapsing to a 4-2 defeat.

Their loss to City saw former player Diaz score against his former club, and while he said he was "grateful" to the Sky Blues, he couldn't resist joining the pile-on with his comments after the game.

"We took advantage of their mistakes," he said. "We created many chances through their errors. We have worked very well and we have competed very well. This is Real Madrid."