Football: Keylor Navas, the guardian angel of PSG
Keylor Navas, the Costa Rican goalkeeper of PSG, November 4, 2020. AP - Michael Sohn
Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow
8 mins
Magistral for 90 minutes on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes, Keylor Navas was one of the great architects of the qualification of PSG against FC Barcelona in the Champions League.
After years of erring, the capital club seem to have found the top-level goalkeeper they've been chasing so much after.
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To each his own game of madness.
In the round of 16 first leg, at Camp Nou on February 16, Kylian Mbappé sank Barça by signing a hat-trick for a final victory for PSG (
4-1
).
On Wednesday March 10, for the return round, the hero costume was donned by Keylor Navas.
The day after
the draw (1-1)
synonymous with qualifying the Parisians for the quarter-finals, opinions are unanimous about the goalkeeper.
He disgusted Barça and defeated Messi
In a disoriented Parisian team, very far from that which had shone in Catalonia in mid-February, Keylor Navas was impeccable.
Admittedly, it did not remain completely hermetic.
At the same time, there was probably not much to do in the face of the huge strike in the top corner unchecked by Lionel Messi.
But this goal conceded aside, the goalkeeper of PSG was dazzling.
There is already this figure: 9. This is the number of saves Navas face against the Blaugrana.
Especially in the first period, the visitors pounded the cage of the Red and Blue.
And only the feat of Messi succeeded in breaking through the erected wall.
Ousmane Dembélé, he only stumbled on the No. 1 of PSG, when he did not miss the target.
Sergino Dest?
His heavy strike was deflected on the crossbar.
Sergio Busquets?
His head ended up straight in the hands of the keeper.
And then, there was especially this crucial moment, in the additional time of the first act, when Leo Messi had the ball 2-1 at the end of the foot from the penalty spot.
When he played in Spain (Albacete, Levante, Real Madrid), Keylor Navas had never won such a duel with the Argentine.
On Wednesday, the six-fold Ballon d'Or failed: the goalkeeper pushed back his shot with his knee and kept his afloat.
In the game as in the psychological aspect of the match, this stop was decisive.
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❤️💙 https://t.co/L5KaRuciBP pic.twitter.com/gc0q4EJjjP
- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) March 10, 2021
"A top goalkeeper in the world", recalls Pochettino
Barça had the opportunities to shake PSG.
But Keylor Navas annihilated them all.
Logically, the Costa Rican was named man of the match and obtained the best marks in the sports media (9 for
L'Équipe
and
Le Parisien
).
“
He played a huge game.
He demonstrated all his qualities and recalled that he was a top world goalkeeper
, ”simply summed up Mauricio Pochettino, the Parisian coach, to
RMC Sport
.
The person concerned said he was "
very happy, thank God
", and recalled that it was "
always difficult
" to take a penalty, "
especially against Messi
".
The latter had not failed in this exercise in the Champions League since 2015. As a model teammate, Keylor Navas wanted to dedicate his feat to Sergio Rico, the club's No. 2 goalkeeper, who recently lost his father.
Bernard Lama, former emblematic PSG goalkeeper, was full of praise in the columns of
L'Équipe
.
For him, this is a “
real benchmark match
” for Keylor Navas, who has shown that he can “
hold the house in a momentous moment
”.
This is also why Paris attracted him during the summer of 2019.
Parisians Keylor Navas and Neymar, July 31, 2020 at the Stade de France.
AP - Francois Mori
Sirigu, Trapp, Areola, Buffon ... None had given satisfaction
The goalkeeper position has long been a headache since 2011 and the club's buyout by Qatar Sports Investments.
First, Paris bet on Salvatore Sirigu.
The Italian was quite successful, but after the failures in the Champions League in the quarter-finals against Chelsea (2014) and Barcelona (2015), management wanted something new.
Thus, Kevin Trapp arrived during the summer of 2015, for a very mixed result.
The German performed well but also made several big mistakes.
And above all, there was the sinking of March 8, 2017: while Paris had won 4-0 in the round of 16 first leg of the C1, FC Barcelona made a
historic comeback
that night
(6-1)
in which Trapp is not innocent, with a completely failed exit from the 3rd minute against Luis Suarez.
In 2017-2018, Alphonse Areola, trained at the club and recent world champion as No. 3 with the France team in Russia, is confirmed as a holder in Paris, after a 2016-2017 season alternating with Kevin Trapp.
Here again, the European results are not at the rendezvous (elimination against Real Madrid in the round of 16), and Areola is not unanimous.
During the summer of 2018, PSG experimented with yet another cose with Gianluigi Buffon.
The Italian, 40, including 17 at Juventus, must help the club cross this milestone in Europe.
The idea turned into a fiasco: the capital club, despite winning Manchester United in the round of 16 first leg at Old Trafford (2-0), collapsed again on their return to Parc des Princes (3-1), with a
fatal Buffon error
in passing.
Is Navas the best recruit of PSG?
In June 2019, when Leonardo returned to the post of sports director of PSG, one of his main missions is to finally find a goalkeeper on whom Paris can count.
He succeeds in September, in the last hours of the transfer window.
The chosen one is Keylor Navas, the man who succeeded Iker Casillas at Real Madrid.
The Costa Rican has been in a complicated situation for a year.
Certainly, he participated in the conquest of three Champions Leagues in a row (2016, 2017, 2018).
But during the summer of 2018, the coach Zinedine Zidane, who trusted him, leaves.
And Real recruits the Belgian Thibaut Courtois, who must take the place of holder.
Keylor Navas, despite his record of service and Courtois' not flawless performance, saw his playing time melt away.
So, in September 2019, when Real Madrid obtained the loan from Parisian Alphonse Areola, a boulevard opened up for a crossover and to offer Keylor Navas the position of n ° 1 in Paris.
It is done for 15 million euros.
For a year and a half, the 34-year-old goalkeeper has been performing, indisputable and has even been called the possible best recruit of the QSI era.
His match against Barça gives a little more credit to this unofficial title.
Gracias a Dios superamos una eliminatoria muy complicada.
Feliz por el papel del equipo y por poder dedicar an important parada to Sergio y toda su familia in a momento duro para ellos ...
Go Paris!
pic.twitter.com/sd8Tb5bMis
- Keylor Navas (@NavasKeylor) March 10, 2021
Gracias a Dios superamos una eliminatoria muy complicada.
Feliz por el papel del equipo y por poder dedicar an important parada to Sergio y toda su familia in a momento duro para ellos ...
Go Paris!
pic.twitter.com/sd8Tb5bMis
- Keylor Navas (@NavasKeylor) March 10, 2021
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