Paris Saint-Germain stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma was the hero on Tuesday night after saving penalties from Liverpool duo Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones – and fans have now spotted the ‘genius’ tactic the 26-year-old used to gain an advantage in the all-crucial shootout.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool, who were one of the favourites to go all the way, were knocked out of the Champions League via a penalty shootout after Ousmane Dembele’s 12th-minute strike levelled proceedings across the two-legged Round of 16 clash.
Neither side were able to find that all-important winner across 120 minutes under Anfield’s bright lights and so, it was decided by penalties. Luis Enrique’s men were faultless from the spot and their man between the sticks was equally imperious.
Donnarumma, widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, has been praised for his penalty-saving exploits in the past: he’s laid back and composed and seldom makes a move until the penalty taker places the ball 12 yards out.
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Donnarumma's 'Genius' Tactic in Shootout vs Liverpool
Fans have emerged with a theory of the Italian's 'mental gymnastics'
In the shootout, after PSG’s Vitinha had buried his side's maiden spot-kick, none other than Mohamed Salah stepped up to the plate for the hosts. A sharpshooter from the spot, the Egyptian struck the ball into the top left corner while Donnarumma remained rooted to the spot.
However, fans are under the assumption that the 70-cap Italy international’s odd, yet now-justified, decision to move neither left nor right in an attempt to thwart Salah’s effort ultimately contributed to them winning the clash and securing passage.
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PSG Fan Used ‘Never-Seen-Before’ Tactic During Shootout vs Liverpool
Liverpool were dumped out of the Champions League Round of 16 after Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones missed their penalties on Tuesday night.
It looked as if Donnarumma had pre-conceded that Salah, Liverpool’s penalty taker-in-chief, was destined to score and that he wouldn’t even attempt to prevent his effort hitting the back of the net – but, as mentioned, fans have come up with a theory.
Because Donnarumma failed to move, supporters believe that it acted as a deterrent for Liverpool players who were going to follow in the footsteps of Salah, as they would assume that he wouldn’t stay in the middle again.
That, in turn, gave the former AC Milan goalkeeper a 50/50 chance of guessing right – and it, judging by the end result, worked out. For Nunez’s miss, he dove left and met the ball with a strong two-handed save, much to the delight of the travelling fans.
For Jones, the imposing glovesman went the other way, with one arm stretched out, to the same effect. Even CBS Sports’ post-match coverage of the European thriller picked up on Donnarumma’s mental gymnastics. They said:
I don’t know if Donnarumma watched Salah and said ‘Okay, he goes in the middle X amount of times’ and that’s why he stayed or if he stayed and said ‘Hey, I’m going to keep the rest of the penalties honest because if I stay in the middle on the first one, they won’t shoot to the middle again.
Thanks to Donnarumma’s brilliance in between the sticks on Merseyside, PSG – who are one of the eight biggest clubs to never win the Champions League – are now set to face Unai Emery’s in-form Aston Villa in the quarterfinals.