El meta del Athletic Club enterró la fatídica tanda mundialista ante Marruecos atajando dos penaltis a Croacia
Unai Simón se vistió este domingo de héroe en el estadio ‘De Kuip’ de Rotterdam. El meta del Athletic Club sacó sus garras en una vibrante tanda de penaltis ante Croacia y atajó dos penas máximas a Majer y Petkovic que fueron determinantes para que la selección española conquistase la primera Nations League de su historia, el primer título de la recién iniciada ‘era De la Fuente’.
El portero de Murgia (Álava) se desquitó del fracaso que supuso la dolorosa eliminación en octavos de final del pasado Mundial de Qatar ante Marruecos desde el punto fatídico. Hace pocos días, el meta de la selección norteafricana, el sevillista Bono, desveló que Unai Simón le dijo en una breve conversación que tenía apuntado en un papel hacia dónde tirarían los jugadores marroquíes. Al cancerbero vasco se le tachó de ‘pardillo’ por un episodio que quizá pudo decidir el KO de la selección española.
Contra Croacia no se le vio a Unai Simón con ningún papelito en el que tuviera apuntados todos los perfiles de los lanzadores croatas de penas máximas. Esta vez la ‘chuleta’ la tuvo en su cabeza y su concentración fue máxima en el momento clave de la final. Luciendo una impoluta indumentaria totalmente de color blanco, el ‘23’ de la Roja se hizo gigante ante los futbolistas croatas, que no habían podido batirle durante 120 minutos. Desde el punto de cal brilló con luz propia. Vlasic, Brozovic, Modric y Perisic lograron batirle, pero tanto Majer como Petkovic toparon con una pierna y una mano de Unai Simón, quien neutralizó así sus respectivos lanzamientos.
En la Eurocopa 2020, el meta del Athletic también fue el héroe en cuartos de final ante Suiza después de detener dos penas máximas en la tanda a Schar y Akanji, aunque en ‘semis’, de nuevo con la lotería de los penaltis para designar al vencedor, no bastó el que le paró a Locatelli para dejar en la cuneta a Italia.
Unai Simón se regaló la Nations League después de cumplir 26 años hace apenas una semana. El Athletic elogió la destacada de su portero titular y así lo hizo saber en Twitter, donde publicó una foto de Unai Simón con una palabra: “Porterazo”, acompañado de un icono de un león. Ante Croacia, el vasco rugió como toda una manada.
[(SK Slovan Bratislava) Strength]: 1. Coming into the UEFA Europa League Play-off round, SK Slovan Bratislava hope to grab the advantage of advancing in this home game, with full motivation.2. SK Slovan Bratislava defeated MFK Skalica 1-0 at home in the last Slovak Super Liga game. They kept unbeaten in the first 3 league games with 2 wins and 1 draw.3. SK Slovan Bratislava scored in 6 of the last...
[(SC Preussen Munster) Strength]: 1. SC Preussen Munster will play at home in this match. The team must defend their home honor and their fighting spirit is beyond doubt.[(SC Preussen Munster) Weakness]: 1. SC Preussen Munster suffered a defeat in the midweek DFB-Pokal match, being eliminated 3-5 by Hertha BSC after a grueling battle that went all the way to penalties, which is a blow to their mor...
[(Real Betis) Strength]: 1. Real Betis failed to start with a win in the first La Liga game this season. They are eager to win and boost their morale.2. Real Betis' new signing midfielder Rodrigo Riquelme contributed an assist in the first league game, showing decent performances.3. Real Betis scored in each of the recent 6 games, boasting stable offense.4. Real Betis received 10 wins, 7 draws, an...
[(Palmeiras) Strength]: 1. In the first leg, Palmeiras secured a resounding 4-0 away victory over Universitario de Deportes, gaining a huge advantage in the race for advancing. Hosting this game at their home ground, Palmeiras will naturally go all out to avoid being reversed by the opponents, ensuring a smooth advance to the next round and continuing their charge towards the Copa Libertadores tro...
[(River Plate) Strength]: 1. The two teams drew 0-0 in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores Round of 16. Returning to their home ground for this game, River Plate are united in their determination to beat Club Libertad and advance to the quarter-finals, with a strong desire to win.2. Red-hot River Plate kept unbeaten in the last 7 games with 4 wins and 3 draws. They beat Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba...
[(NK Rijeka) Strength]: 1. NK Rijeka, powerhouses in Croatia, have a strong pursuit of honors. After dropping down from the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, the team are eager to prove themselves in the UEFA Europa League, aiming to enhance their stature in European football and bring glory to both the club and their supporters.[(NK Rijeka) Weakness]: 1. NK Rijeka defender Mile Skoric will miss t...
[(KFUM-Kameratene Oslo) Strength]: 1. KFUM-Kameratene Oslo have achieved 7 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses in the league so far this season, scoring 29 goals and conceding 20 in 18 league games, and currently rank 7th in the league standings. The team will play at home in this game with great desire to win.2. KFUM-Kameratene Oslo's major forward Johannes Nunez has performed steadily in the team's front...
[(Vaasan Palloseura) Strength]: 1. Vaasan Palloseura have been in poor recent form. In this home match, they are motivated to rebound.[(Vaasan Palloseura) Weakness]: 1. Vaasan Palloseura drew 0-0 with HJK Helsinki on the road in the last game. They are on a 1-game winless run.2. Vaasan Palloseura were winless in 7 consecutive home games, failing to show their home advantage.3. Vaasan Palloseura co...
[(West Ham United F.C.) Neutral]: 1. West Ham United F.C. recently expressed their desire to sign their upcoming opponents Chelsea's player Andrey Santos, but their offer was rejected. Chelsea informed West Ham that they have no intention of selling the player.2. West Ham United F.C. scored 46 goals in 38 league games last season, averaging over 1 goal per game. However, their offense is still con...
[(Aberdeen F.C.) Strength]: 1. If Aberdeen F.C. can advance to the UEFA Europa League group stage, it would mark a historic milestone for the club. This huge honor will undoubtedly greatly boost the team's fighting spirit.[(Aberdeen F.C.) Neutral]: 1. The two sides have never met before, and there are no relevant track record available for reference at present.[(Aberdeen F.C.) Weakness]: 1. Aberde...


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