Thibaut Courtois needed a moment at Real Madrid and on Sunday, it arrived.
With the four minutes of added time already up and trailing to Valencia, Los Blancos won a corner and would have one last chance. Up went the big Belgian goalkeeper to cause chaos in the area. His header was parried by Jaume Domenech, but after Ezequiel Garay failed to clear, Karim Benzema smashed the ball into the net.
As Benzema peeled away in celebration, Fede Valverde thumped the turf with rage on the other side of the area and Courtois cupped his ears at the Valencia fans, in a gesture which could yet earn him a fine from La Liga.
But more significantly, he has earned hero status at Real Madrid. Because before his dramatic intervention in the opposition area, he had also made a number vital saves at the other end, including a spectacular stop from Ferran Torres at the beginning of the second half and another to deny Manu Vallejo shortly before the equaliser.
Courtois' performances have been much improved since the start of the season, when he was whistled by his own fans at the Santiago Bernabeu. His upturn in form has coincided with Real Madrid's recovery and his display in the key 1-0 away to Galatasaray was one highlight.
But now he has a moment closer to home and it is one which should bring a closer connection to the Madrid fans.
"I'm two metres tall and the rivals can get a little bit nervous if I go up," he told Real Madrid TV after the game. "Toni [Kroos] puts the corners in at the near post, I saw that it was at my height and I headed it well. After that, it went to Benzema and he scored."
And he added: "I looked at the bench, but I knew I was going to go up because there were 30 seconds left. We have to help each other between everyone. I also made two good saves in the second half."
Coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed it had been his goalkeeper's idea. “Courtois decided to go up," he said. "That shows we always want more, we never give up. That’s Real Madrid.”
Madrid had started superbly at Mestalla, creating a number of chances in the opening 25 minutes, only for Valencia to dominate the second half and Albert Celades' side had looked set to win all three points after Carlos Soler's late goal.
But Real Madrid can never be written off and the late leveller at Mestalla not only saw Zidane's side draw level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga, but will also be a huge psychological boost for Los Blancos ahead of Wednesday night's Clasico clash at Camp Nou.
"It gives us a little lift," Courtois said. "Because if you go to Camp Nou after losing 1-0, that's worse. Getting a point in the last minutes always leaves a good taste in your mouth."
