Paris (AFP)

Paris Saint-Germain can thank its goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, whose parades chased away the multiple strikes from Barcelona (1-1) and the anguish of "remountada" of a paralyzed team, Wednesday in the round of 16 second leg of the Ligue des champions.

A penalty - from Lionel Messi, please!

- stopped, stops which discouraged Ousmane Dembélé and the Catalan attackers, the Costa Rican held his rank.

The former Real Madrid, triple winner of the C1 in the Merengue jersey, gave grain to grind to those who see in him one of the very best recruits of Qatari PSG, a real great goalkeeper of international level.

At 34, Navas did not tremble when his teammates had their legs in ears of wheat facing the fear of being brought up, despite the three goals ahead of the first leg (4-1).

He did not live the 6-1 nightmare of four years ago, where Barça had knocked down the 4-0 first leg and traumatized an entire club.

A scar not quite closed, given the fear that gripped the Parisians.

In the first period, Navas stepped up rescues to reassure his partners.

After two good stops on cross strikes from Ousmane Dembélé (11th, 18th), he deflected a powerful strike from Sergino Dest on the crossbar (23rd), then countered with his foot, like a handball goalkeeper, a mine of Sergi Busquets ( 40th).

In all, he blocked 9 shots on target in the first period!

- He stops Messi's penalty -

Nothing to do, however, on the sublime outside strike from the left of Messi full window (37), the 9th goal of the "Pulga" in 14 matches against Navas.

His masterpiece remains this penalty stopped from the knee, in added time (45 + 3), against the same Messi.

The goalkeeper trained at Deportivo Saprissa, Costa Rica's biggest club, also had some success, deflecting the ball over the bar.

With bad luck, the ball could have bounced off him and returned, but the "buena suerte" was also with him on Wednesday night ...

In the second half, he had less work.

Abdou Diallo and Marquinhos helped him by extinguishing a hot balloon just under the flame of Messi (62nd), then Navas released with an astonishing reflex a reversed head of Busquets (69th).

In short, the man from San Isidoro from El General finished best player of his team, by far.

And this is not the first time.

In the Champions League, for example, he had managed a brilliant return to the Bernabeu in other colors, where his ten saves had helped PSG bring back a draw (2-2) in the fall of 2019.

His arrival at the end of the 2019 transfer window, for 15 million euros is one of the best transfers of the Qatari era, probably the best value for money.

Alphonse Areola, in the other direction, had been loaned to the Madrid club.

He is the great goalkeeper needed by a Champions League contender, after the never-ending experiences of Salvatore Sirigu or Kevin Trapp.

Even the huge Gigi Buffon had a hole in the comeback against Manchester United (3-1, 2-0 at Old Trafford on the first leg).

At Camp Nou, the unfortunate Trapp had taken six during the original comeback, in 2017 (6-1, 4-0 in the first leg).

Navas is from a different wood.

© 2021 AFP