Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Matvéi Safónov says he had a role in unsettling Arsenal‘s Eberechi Eze in their Champions League final win over the Gunners in May.
Kai Havertz gave the Gunners an early lead in last season’s final before PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé equalised in the second half.
The tie ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time. It went to a penalty shootout and Arsenal lost 4-3. The victory saw PSG win the Champions League two years in a row.
PSG man got into Arsenal player’s head
Fast forward to September and Le Parisien interviewed Matvéi Safónov. RMC Sport have relayed his comments about the Champions League final penalty shootout against Mikel Arteta’s side.
The 27-year-old Russia international didn’t make a save in Budapest as both Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhães failed to convert.
Eze, who took the second penalty, hit the post while the centre-back’s shot went above the post. PSG’s Marquinhos was then seen consoling Gabrile as he “tried to have empathy for what he was feeling.”
Safónov now explains how he thinks to have played a role in unsettling the 28-year-old England international.
“I reckon I bear some of the responsibility for that. He was watching my position, waiting for me to make my move. I remained completely still. Seeing no clue, he had to improvise his run-up and shot at the very last moment,” he said.
“If I’d taken a step to my left in anticipation, he would have easily opened up his foot to the other side, as that’s his speciality. By staying rock-solid, I closed off that comfortable option for him. That is precisely the role of a goalkeeper: to throw the attacker off his game.”
Forcing Arsenal to change plans at last-minute
The PSG stopper says it was a psychological battle with the Arsenal players.
“It’s primarily a psychological battle. These days, with video analysis, everyone analyses themselves. I spend a lot of time dissecting the habits of attackers,” Matvéi Safónov explained.
“It’s no secret anymore; you’ve seen my famous briefcase a lot, on which I write all my notes on penalty takers.”
The Premier League winners had done their analysis and prepared to thwart his plans. The Gunners were also aware he did his own analysis about them and this forced them to change their plans at the last-minute.
“They were prepared to counter me. At this level of competition, shooters anticipate my analysis. They knew I was familiar with their preferred angles, so they deliberately changed their approach at the last minute to surprise me,” he added.
PSG and Arsenal will face ŠK Slovan Bratislava and Napoli respectively in their first group stage fixture of this season.
