Caoimhin Kelleher said that his recent penalty saves for Ireland and Liverpool gave him confidence that he would thwart Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League.
The Reds were leading 1-0 after Alexis Mac Allister had coolly finished past Thibaut Courtois when Andy Robertson was penalized for upending Lucas Vazquez in the box.
Mbappe, a peripheral figure on the night, stepped up to try and draw his side level but was denied by Kelleher, who sprung to his left to preserve the Reds' lead.
Liverpool went on to win 2-0 as Cody Gakpo doubled the Reds' lead — after Mohamed Salah had missed a penalty of his own — and Kelleher was asked about his save from Mbappe after the match.
"I don't really look at the player too much," Kelleher responded when asked what it was like to face Mbappe. "I felt confident. I've saved two in the last week or so; I was confident, and thankfully I went the right way again."
On the win itself, Kelleher added: "It was a big result. It was a massive game for us. Obviously, they got the better of us the last few times against us in the Champions League. We wanted to come out tonight, put on a big performance, and the lads did really well."
Mac Allister accompanied Kelleher during the post-match interview with TNT Sports and was asked what it was like to score against the competition's defending champion.
"When you play teams like Real Madrid, it's always nice to score, but the most important thing is that we won it," Mac Allister said. "I think in a really good way, we dominated the game, we deserved it, we needed this guy (Kelleher) a couple of times but thank god he is there, and he really deserves it."
Gakpo came off the bench to give Liverpool breathing space in the closing stages of the match, and Mac Allister acknowledged that Liverpool's squad players will be crucial over the course of the season.
"We know that the players that come in are important to finish the games," Mac Allister said. "If you want to win trophies, you need them. Of course, it's not nice to be on the bench, but we know that every guy that is here does the best when he comes in."