Keylor, El Monstro.
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FRANCK FIFE / AFP
If the PSG qualified for the quarter-finals of C1, it owes it largely to its goalkeeper Keylor Navas, sparkling on Wednesday night.
Beyond his remarkable level of play, the Costa Rican goalkeeper radiates confidence and a warrior spirit to his teammates.
Triple winner of the C1 with Real Madrid, Navas is perhaps the element that PSG lacked until then to dream of a cup with big ears.
At the Parc des Princes,
Paris had the Eiffel Tower, PSG now has Keylor Navas.
Do you find it a bit easy as a paper attack?
It is, absolutely, but what do you want, we try to model our style on that of the Costa Rican: FA-CILE.
Oh, we could have used many other words, but this one sums up so well the beefy performance of the Parisian goalkeeper on Wednesday that it would be wrong to deprive ourselves.
It is also no exaggeration to say that if Paris will have the chance to play a place in the semi-finals of C1 within three weeks, it owes it largely to his new monstro.
And suddenly, Navas is wearing Paris
Without lying to you, at 9:48 p.m. on Wednesday evening, we saw floating in the air like a je ne sais quoi of going up, when Kurzawa put all-in as in the first leg by going to kick Grizou in the middle of the surface. to offer a penalty to the Blaugrana.
At that time, and despite Mbappé's opening scoring from the penalty spot half an hour into the game, PSG had their heads at the bottom of the tank after having eaten wave after wave for nearly 45 minutes.
What Messi's 30m cannon shot for the 1-1 goal obviously did not help.
21:48, therefore: if the Pulga scores, the referee whistles the half-time on it, Barça returns to 2-1 and behind, good luck to Pochettino to pick up the Parisians with a teaspoon.
But Navas put a stop to history repeating itself, deflecting the Argentinian's shot just enough to send the ball over the bar.
With his fist raised, his eyes bloodshot, the former Madrilenian has just irradiated his teammates with a substance that is still too little known in Paris and
that is called
“confidence”.
"One of the best goalkeepers in the world", for Pochettino
For Marquinhos, questioned on RMC Sport after qualifying, if Paris “managed to hold out”, it was first of all “thanks to our great goalkeeper, he made the difference”.
Mauricio Pochettino was a little less stingy in words at the post-match press conference: “Keylor was incredible.
He had a crazy night, he had a huge match.
He helped the team and it is partly thanks to him that we are qualified.
He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he demonstrated it tonight at the Park ”.
One can even legitimately wonder if, at the present time and all European championships combined, it is not downright THE best goalkeeper in the world.
And if his kicking game clearly leaves something to be desired - still happy, the guy can not have everything either - for the rest it is the "top top" level as the late Thomas Tuchel would say.
Faced with the repeated assaults of a Barça found, the Costa Rican displayed all his panoply of super-savior.
We have selected (and ranked) four for you, you will get an idea.
1)
The penalty that changes the fate of Paris
See third paragraph
Artistic note:
9/10, because in addition to being decisive and not disgusting to see, this stop is the one that changes the fate of the meeting.
And that it was Messi opposite.
2) The phalanges of the win
23rd minute, the Blaugranas continue to break in rogue waves on the cages of Navas, and Dest takes advantage of the air-marking of Kurzawa on the right side to enter the surface and trigger a mine at close range.
The ball is on target but the ex Madrid has the knuckles firm enough to touch the leather and deflect the shot on the bar.
Artistic note:
8.5 / 10, there is a part of luck - which is a few cm from the knuckles - but god the gesture is subtle.
The horizontal of Navas on the crosshead of Busquets.
- FRANCK FIFE / AFP
3) The feat at the near post from a corner
In recent years, goalkeepers have tended to stop putting the famous “guys at the near post” on corners.
Mainly because it is of little use in this type of phase of the game (which is a matter of debate), but for Navas it's something else, it's just because he knows he has the stature sufficient to cover its two posts like a large one.
Which he did brilliantly on that vicious crosshead by Busquets at the near post, punching his fists with authority.
Artistic note:
8/10, for the speed of movement on its line and the quasi-horizontality of its body in the air.
4) The cuff on the ground
The meeting could very quickly have turned to the advantage of Barcelona, thanks in particular to a molten Ousmane Dembélé in the first period.
In the 11th minute, the French tumbled on the left side, slalomed between two Parisian defenders and presented himself alone, in a slightly off-center position, facing Navas.
The Frenchman's straight shot was off to the ground but the Parisian goalkeeper fell to the ground at breakneck speed to then place a family cuff and deflect for a corner.
Artistic note:
7/10, not spectacular but devilishly effective.
Navas and the C1, a love story that lasts
In total, Navas will have made nine saves (eight for the first period alone) and avoided Paris to liquefy over the match.
Better, by his presence and his performances, it is as if the triple winner of the Champions League with Real was transmitting this warrior fiber to the whole team.
Grant them that, if the Parisians were not good (at all) on Wednesday, at least they showed an aggressiveness rarely seen so far in the defensive phases.
When we think that Navas was recruited for 15 million euros - that is to say peanut given the level of the beast - we would almost be reviewing our judgment on Antero Henrique, the Portuguese sporting director (originally of his coming) so decried at the time.
Asked about RMC Sport after the meeting, the player, who is never a big talker in front of the cameras, simply explained that Barça had "forced them to do the maximum".
Oh yes, like a perfect gentleman, he also dedicated his penalty stop to "Sergio Rico and his family who are having a difficult time [the player lost a loved one a few days before the match]".
A model teammate, appreciated and listened to by the entire locker room, Keylor Navas is perhaps the element that this club lacked to finally “dream bigger”.
This is also why he was recruited, because the boy knows what he is talking about.
"The group has clear objectives, we must all be together to progress and keep this line of conduct until the end," he said at the end of the evening.
To win [the Champions League], you have to be united ”.
Follow the leader.
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