The goalkeeper of Espanyol, Diego López, revealed how he managed to save Lionel Messi's penalty in the Copa del Rey derby against Barcelona. He said he guessed the trajectory of the ball because he had studied the Argentine's shots.
He guessed it
'I dove to the left because that's where Lionel Messi statistically has shot the most. It's complicated, Leo is unpredictable, because he has practically shot them everywhere. The last two penalties he shot at me, he did it to the left and I tried to hold on as long as possible to confuse him', said Diego López after the training session held at the Dani Jarque Sports City.
Although he has become the only goalkeeper who has saved two penalties from Lionel Messi, Diego López has stated that the penalty does not change his situation in the team, where he is currently the substitute for Pau López.
The saved penalty
Diego López insisted that, despite the psychological boost, the second leg of the match will be difficult and ruled out a defensive strategy: 'If we don't score, things will be very complicated, but we can score. It's an emotionally important victory, although it's a short result. We are going to have to suffer a lot', added the goalkeeper.
Selección peruana: ?Falcao elogió el peso goleador de Paolo Guerrero https://t.co/hQcHil9dBH pic.twitter.com/MrGI00P397
— Diario El Bocón (@elbocononline) 23 March 2017