Even by his standards, former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga has had quite the week.
The 32-year-old has been thrust in and out of the spotlight across a dramatic career. Moving from his hometown in Argentina to La Liga side Valencia aged 15, he spent a season as the backup at Gillingham in England’s fourth tier before Southampton swooped in to take him straight to the Premier League. On December 1, 2012, he started at Anfield against Liverpool, barely a year after sitting on the bench away at Macclesfield Town.
Just over a decade on — a loan to the Spanish second division, a big move to Tottenham, and a solitary appearance for his country later — Gazzaniga has nailed down a starting berth at Girona, having played a key role in their shock third-place finish last campaign.
Since he joined the Catalan club at the start of the 2022-23 season, he has been the best shot-stopper in the Spanish top flight according to Opta’s expected goals on target (xGOT) model, conceding almost 13 goals fewer than the quality of shots he has faced suggest the average goalkeeper would.
Such success has not been without its blips, however, none more costly than his error away at Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month. Letting a low cross squirm beneath his grasp, his last-minute howler — despite five saves in the match — cost his team a precious point in Girona’s first Champions League game.
For UK readers:
PSG finally break through Girona’s defence and take the lead in the 90th minute through Nuno Mendes! 📈
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/YRk42cqb0X
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 18, 2024
For U.S. readers:
Football can be cruel game. 💔
Heartbreak for Girona on their Champions League debut as Paulo Gazzaniga’s best Rob Green impression hands PSG victory 🫣pic.twitter.com/ep7wE7J0v6
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) September 18, 2024
Redemption has been spectacular for Gazzaniga, however, keeping out a penalty from Feyenoord’s Ayase Ueda in midweek, before repeating the trick three times this weekend.
Having saved one of his last nine spot kicks, his miraculous performance in a crucial 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao leaves him four out of four this week alone.
With the help of goalkeeping expert Matt Pyzdrowski, The Athletic breaks down Sunday’s extraordinary hat-trick of penalty saves.
An elite-level footballer, 12 yards from goal, the goalkeeper pinned to his line and with no obstructions to their run-up or their contact with the ball, it’s little wonder that almost 75 per cent of penalties were scored in La Liga last season; close to 90 per cent in the Premier League.
The odds are stacked against the goalkeeper and mind games are usually the first line of attack.
“Gazzaniga takes an aggressive approach before penalties in an attempt to throw off the shooter,” says Pyzdrowski. “Only on the third penalty is he more reserved and it’s likely because he’d just been penalised for time-wasting on the previous attempt.”
As we can see below, Gazzaniga is quick to approach the first penalty-taker, Alex Berenguer, as he waits to step up, while team-mate Dani Vivian tries to stand in the way.
Gazzaniga is ordered back to his line by referee Juan Luis Pulido Santana shortly afterwards and again 12 seconds later, testing the official’s patience.
One minute and seven seconds pass between the penalty decision and the shot on goal, gathered in by Gazzaniga as he guesses the correct way.
“It’s a good save, he makes a great read and times his dive very well, so as to not give Berenguer an idea of which way he is going until the last moment.”
The second penalty is also delayed by a coordinated team effort. This time, Inaki Williams has one minute and 32 seconds to dwell on things with the ball in his hands.
As the protests fizzle out, Gazzaniga is again the first player to approach the taker, but this time David Lopez steps in for a chat with Williams after the ’keeper has been sent back to his line.
Vivian is again on hand to protect his penalty-taker, leading Lopez out of the box in frame three, before Gazzaniga notices and turns straight around to approach Williams once more.
Pulido Santana reaches the end of his tether and books the goalkeeper for his gamesmanship, a wry smile breaking out on his face.
Gazzaniga saves the penalty with his trailing leg, a weak attempt down the middle of the goal, but is adjudged to have stepped off his line by VAR. A retake is ordered and Ander Herrera steps up to take spot kick number three.
Looking back through the archives, former Manchester United midfielder Herrera had taken just three penalties in his career, while Berenguer had attempted just four. How much goalkeeping homework could have possibly come into play?
“It’s a combination of studying the shooter’s tendencies and analysing their technique; even with such little data, the goalkeeper will have studied all of the main takers,” says Pyzdrowski.
“Then it’s about using the information you have and making the best choice for that specific situation and shooter.”
Herrera’s penalty is a similarly poor attempt down the middle, but Pyzdrowski praises Gazzaniga’s composure, getting himself set right before the ball is struck by planting his feet and crouching low, taking extra care this time to leave one boot behind the line.
“He moves about a lot before the penalty is struck, even pointing to his left to indicate to Herrera that’s where he is going to dive,” he says. “He does everything he can to gain the upper hand and ultimately psyches the shooters out and makes the save”.
Last season, Gazzaniga made a forceful dive to either side in all six of the penalties he faced; he saved just one, having been sent the wrong way three times. That may have been on the minds of both Williams and Herrera as they tried to place the ball down the middle, but scuffed shots allowed the goalkeeper to temper his momentum and save with his feet.
In an ironic twist, Girona would nick a last-minute winner from the penalty spot, as all-time leading goalscorer Christhian Stuani blasted the ball just under the gloves of Alex Padilla. This was a game won and lost from the spot.
Hours later, David de Gea made two penalty saves as Fiorentina beat AC Milan in Italy’s Serie A, another goalkeeper whose career has swung with the dramatic highs and crushing lows of football’s most punishingly unpredictable role.
Both have soared from zero to hero in recent weeks, but that’s all part of the job.
(Top photo: Eric Alonso/Getty Images)