Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has reacted after Gianluigi Donnarumma's tackle led to a serious injury to Jamal Musiala in Saturday's match against Bayern Munich.
Goals from Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele secured PSG a 2-0 victory over Bayern in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup.
However, the match was overshadowed by the moment when Musiala tried to reach the ball past Donnarumma, but the Italian goalkeeper fell on his feet, causing him a serious injury.
Musiala was visibly in great pain, while Donnarumma was seen shocked when he realised the extent of the injury.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany called the incident an "accident", but opposing goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was not so understanding.
“[This is] a case where you don't have to get involved like that; it's reckless,” Neuer said.
“He accepts the risk of harming the opponent. I said to him: ‘Aren’t you going to see how our player is? It’s a matter of respect to visit him and wish him well.’ He did it later. Fair play is always important. I would have reacted differently.”
Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl added: "If I jump on a player's knee weighing 100 kilograms and at speed, the risk of something happening is very high. I don't believe he did it on purpose at all, but he wasn't careful either."
However, on Saturday night, after Real Madrid's 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund, Courtois came to Donnarumma's defense:
“I was watching it with my father and son and when he (Musiala) fell, I said: ‘Wow, that looks bad.’ Blaming Donnarumma seems excessive to me, because at the end of the day we goalkeepers go for the ball, just like strikers – and when they go for the ball, they don’t measure whether their feet are going to hit our faces.
"It's your teammate, it hurts more, of course, and you'll criticize the opponent, but the action is not so unavoidable. Donnarumma had to go out there."
On Sunday morning, Bayern Munich released an update on Musiala's condition, announcing that he is expected to be out for at least four to five months due to a fractured fibula./Express newspaper/
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