The legend of Messi grows and grows. His latest straight-out-of-a-hollywood-script moment comes from the FIFA Club World Cup final that took place on December 20, 2015. It may have happened three months ago, but River Plate keeper Marcelo Barovero has apparently only just shared the story yesterday to Sport ENGLISH. Barovero’s son received a gift from Messi after the final.
It would be unfair to call what is happening to Iker Casillas a downfall. He he’s taken a step down since the days of being known as the greatest goal keeper in the world, but that was always going to happen. Father time is undefeated. No, what he is going through just sucks to see, and at no point has it sucked more than when Casillas’ error against Braga over the weekend.
Let’s just get something straight, the goalkeeper you are about to watch had no right to save any of these shots. If the strikers he was facing had put the ball anywhere pretty much anywhere except where they put them, they would have scored. But they didn’t, and now I can calmly say that the world just might be a better place for it. Close range tap in goals are a dime a dozen, but three superhuman saves in a row? That’s something worth writing about.
If you are a soccer fan, the odds are that, at some point, you’ve heard someone say, “saving penalties is a lottery.” But, is it really?
Wilfredo Caballero saved three shots from the mark last weekend, giving Manchester City the Capital One Cup title in a shootout, was that luck, or is there a science behind stopping penalty kicks?
You can bet there is.
First of all, let’s think back in history. Many goalkeepers have made a name for themselves as specialists in stopping penalties.
What a fantastic weekend of soccer. So many brilliant goals, so many talking points. We compiled a list of ten of the best moments from the weekend, in no particular order.
10. Dutch club walks out with lingerie models instead of kids.
When you think of a world-class save, you don't really think of Brentford. Actually, when you think of world class anything, you don't think of Brentford.
Yet in a match against Preston North End, Brentford keeper David Button pulled off a world class save that any top-level keeper would have been proud of.
Ladies and Gentleman! The moment you've all been waiting for! Kevin Hart vs. Joe Hart!
Comedian Kevin Hart visited Manchester City's training complex with only one thing in mind...to convert a penalty against one of the most in-form keepers in the Premier League, Joe Hart. What followed was a penalty showdown of absolute ridiculousness. We don't want to rock the boat, but we suspect that Joe Hart may have thrown the contest. Maybe a little greasing of the wheels? Padding of the pockets? The fix is in guys! No? Whatever. Just watch it.
Part 1:
Sometimes we see freak cases where goalkeepers score goals, whether it be from a kick within the box that ends up in the opposite net or a last minute set piece. Rarely do you see a goalkeeper taking a free kick or a penalty kick. Even rarer do you see a keeper with over 100 goals. Because there’s only one. The man, the myth, the legend, Rogerio Ceni.
Some say that stopping a penalty in soccer is the hardest thing to do in sports. There is no real penalty saving trick. The net is so large, the ball so small, and the shot is coming from such a close range that keepers must guess which way they are going to dive before the ball is hit to have a chance at saving it. Even if they dive in the correct direction it is unlikely they’ll be able to stop it. If they’re unlucky and dive the wrong direction, well, let’s just say that every keeper in the world has been left on the proverbial other side of the coin.
Where counterattacks are concerned, the keeper's job is distribution. Get the ball, get it to one of the field players, put everything in motion then get back in your goal.
This is not what Nacional's U-14 goalkeeper, Guillermo Centurion (what a name!) had in mind when he intercepted a corner kick.
Instead of distributing to a field player, he distributed to himself. Then he led the counter, dribbled the length of the field, embarassed the other team's keeper and coolly slotted the ball home.
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