Coach Jorge Almirón revealed that the goalkeeper anticipated that he was going to save two shots in the definition against Nacional from Uruguay. Since he arrived at Xeneize, he has already contained six of the eleven that kicked him.
A promise to his companions that came true andas in that definition by penalties in Sao Paulo against the Netherlands in the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup, Sergio Romero again cut short two penalties and he became a hero, as he anticipated Javier Mascherano before the decisive series. From that July 9, 2014 to this August 9, 2023, 9 years and a month passed, but ‘Chiquito’ was once again a giant in a defining round, this time with the jersey of Bocato the quarterfinals of the Libertadores Cup.
The numbers of the veteran goalkeeper in the shots from eleven meters are remarkable. He had already excelled by saving penalties in regulation time. Since his arrival in Boca, they kicked him 7 and contained four: ante Central Cordoba from Santiago del Estero, Banfield, Deportivo Pereira e Independent. In his first penalty shootout, he saved shots at Juan Ramirez y Daniel Bocanegra.
But he didn’t want to stand out like that. She said it clearly after qualifying: “No, I didn’t dream about it, I like my teammates to score goals, that they don’t score goals for us and win the game in 90 minutes. But hey, today it was my turn to collaborate by saving penalties, but what I want to highlight is that we are a very nice group and we will always push forward for Boca “.
In the 90 minutes, he had a normal performance. In the first goal there was no responsibility and, in the second, he left the short rebound inside the area. Later, in the first stage, he dove headlong into the six-yard box to catch a ball that bounced after a free kick and was almost missed by a Nacional player. But in penalties, he emerged as the figure of Jorge Almirón’s team.
Photo MARCELO CARROLL – Clarín
“Little, Little”rumbled from all sides of the Bombonera after the 4-2 victory against Nacional and the pass to the quarterfinals. “It is an immense joy that the entire Bombonera chants my name. Despite having a nice career, getting to Boca is something else and being welcomed with open arms is barbaric. That is why I am grateful to the club, to Román (Riquelme), to Jorge (Bermúdez) and I always try to do the best for the club.”he stressed.
Regarding the game, the goalkeeper made it clear that the team deserved to resolve the duel before penalties. “I think we suffered from more, in the first half, after the 1-0 draw, we played well and deserved another goal. But this is football and the same thing happened to us in the final part and we couldn’t solve it before either ”he emphasized.
Romero joined Boca in August 2022 but immediately suffered from an injury and underwent surgery on his right knee the following month. Until that moment, in his career (Al Alkmaar, Under 20 and Major team, Sampdoria, Manchester United and Venezia), they had kicked him 87 penalties (41 in regular time and 46 in definitions), of which he cut 154 were diverted and 68 ended up inside.
The debut in the goal of Boca only took place at the beginning of the year. In the 32 games, they scored 25 goals and he has 6 penalties saved. Enough to become a hero and feel what it means to be cheered by the Boca fan.
look also
2023-08-10 03:02:34
#promise #Chiquito #Romero #harangue #remarkable #statistics #penalties #hero #Boca
