Lightning reaction from the goalkeeper
“Like a magician” – England celebrates an incredible parade
December 16, 2024 – 1:45 a.mReading time: 3 minutes
Spectators saw an incredible parade in the English championship at the weekend. The experts are completely over the moon about the action.
After this weekend, a goalkeeper who excelled at the last World Cup is making a splash in the Premier League: Emiliano Martínez. In Qatar he was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament, and a little later he also received the FIFA Award for the best keeper in 2023. Now the 32-year-old Argentine made a name for himself with a spectacular rescue operation.
In his team Aston Villa’s game against Nottingham Forest, Martínez made an incredible save, according to many experts, when the score was 0-0. Of all people, the keeper scratched the ball off the line against his national team colleague Nicolás Domínguez with a sensational reflex.
It was the 59th minute of the Premier League game when Forest were awarded a corner, the ball sailed into the penalty area, where numerous players were milling about right in front of Martinez. First, the ball is extended by the back of the head of a Villa defender and rushes to the back post. Domínguez is standing there, hitting the ball fully and trying to push it over the line from around three meters away.
Goalkeeper Martínez actually looked beaten because he was caught on the wrong foot. But then he quickly extends his left arm and scrapes the play equipment off the line. A defender from his team hits the ball into the stands for safety. The huge opportunity for Forest is wasted.
There was disbelief among the Forest players and the spectators at the City Ground stadium in Nottingham. Even the experts on the screens couldn’t believe it. Former Wales defender Ashley Williams, commentating on the BBC, said: “It was simply the best save I’ve ever seen.”
“He doesn’t even have the right position for the ball, but he’s so smart, he knows exactly what he has to do,” said Williams with appreciation about the Argentine World Cup goalkeeper. England women’s national team goalkeeper Mary Earps wrote on Instagram about the scene: “Absolutely outrageous.”
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Redknapp also said: “I can’t remember a better save.” And further: “He acts almost like a magician, with a kind of sleight of hand. That’s really sensational.”
Redknapp even put the rescue act on a par with the greatest saves in football history and compared it to the action of England’s former national goalkeeper Gordon Banks against Pelé at the 1970 World Cup. Back then, Banks saved Brazil’s football legend in dire need in a similarly hopeless situation.
Goalkeeper Martínez’s action gave his team a boost, and just minutes later the visitors took the lead 1-0 through Jhon Durán. But the bravely fighting hosts actually managed to turn things around in the final minutes with a double strike from Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga. When Milenkovic scored, the keeper should have held on to the ball, even though the header flew onto the goal from close range. But the ball slipped through the Argentine’s arms. Martínez was powerless when Elanga scored Forest’s winning goal.
Nottingham Forest won the game between the two surprise teams 2-1 and moved up to fourth place in the table – ahead of reigning champions Manchester City. Aston Villa is currently sixth in the table.