Andriy Lunin: The Hero of Real Madrid’s Champions League Triumph

Real Madrid once again showed their character at the Etihad Stadium by qualifying for the Champions League semi-finals after beating Manchester City on penalties. The tie tied 4-4 in the 210 minutes (180 of regular time and 30 of extra time) of the key gave way to shots from the penalty spot and the White House goalkeeper, Andriy Lunin, was the great hero of the day with two covered executions of Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovačić.

The 25-year-old Ukrainian goalkeeper showed confidence in each of those shots because in the case of the first save he stayed standing in the middle and the bet paid off because he stopped Silva’s weak attempt without complications, while he changed his choice to the second: he leaned on his right post and fate winked at someone who had already appeared in a difficult moment with this shirt in this edition of the Champions League.

After playing two matches for Orejona in the group stage last season against Shakhtar Donetsk with a balance of one victory (2-1) and one draw (1-1), his presence was necessary again in the fourth match of Group C, displacing Kepa from ownership. After five minutes, he confirmed that the coach’s decision, Carlo Ancelotti, had been correct because he blocked a maximum penalty against Álvaro Djaló with a goalless result on November 8 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Subsequent goals from Brahim Diaz, Vinicius and Rodrygo sealed the local win 3-0, but that match was the starting point for a Lunin that took advantage of every opportunity it had starting this season with the injury of Thibaut Courtois, who suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

The board, led by Florentino Pérez, chose to reinforce the position with the arrival of Kepa Arrizabalaga, on loan from Chelsea, but by dint of sacrifice he earned a place in the initial formation until he was the savior of Real Madrid this Wednesday in a matter with a very positive personal balance. According to data from statistician Mister Chip, Andriy Lunin had a 36% efficiency in taking penalties throughout his career before the shootout against the Citizens. Furthermore, Transfermarkt shows that he blocked 8 of 22 penalties taken in regulation time.

* The summary of Real Madrid’s classification

After the match, Andriy Lunin revealed the tactic he used to contain Bernardo Silva’s shot. He specified that there were three players who could kick in the middle and he had to choose when to do it. “We prepared all those who stayed to launch and we had to take a risk with one. Luckily (Bernardo’s) turned out well. In one you had to stay in the center,” he said with a laugh.

“I’m tired. It’s the first game like this in my career. 120 minutes with this requirement. But many thanks to the team that has run, fought,” he deepened. And he added: “In these games you have to suffer. You can’t always have the ball, you can’t always be the best team on the field. For me it is a great experience. And the team made a great effort.”

The beginnings of his career focused on his nation of origin. Metalist sheltered him in their Inferiores until he left in 2015 for the Dnipro Under 19s. He debuted in the First Division at the age of 17 in October 2016 against Karpaty and became an irreplaceable piece. His coach at the time, Dmytro Mykhaylenko, praised him after his premiere: “I have known Andriy since he was ten years old, I have followed his entire career. So I wasn’t surprised by his confidence on the field. He didn’t play often with the reserves, but we knew what he was capable of and trusted him to play in the first team. We were pleased with his debut. The team felt that they were supported by a goalkeeper who plays well with his feet, commits with confidence and gives signals for his defense.”

In mid-2017, fate made him move to wear the Zorya Lugansk jersey and he only lasted one season in that entity. As reconstructed by GOAL, the CEO of the institution, Serhiy Rafailov, announced that he had “attracted interest from clubs even bigger than Liverpool and Inter.” He was sold to Real Madrid for a figure of 8,500,000 euros (just over USD 9 million), which he bet on his future at 19 years old. The named source highlighted that Zinedine Zidane had ‘blocked’ his signing because the place was filled with Keylor Navas, Kiko Casilla and Luca Zidane, Zizou’s son.

* The summary of Real Madrid’s classification

The million-dollar operation had been the largest transfer of a Ukrainian player since Dmytro Chygrynskiy had jumped from Shakhtar to Barcelona in exchange for 25 million of the European currency (USD 26 million) in 2010. This figure was pulverized by Chelsea after investing more than 70 million euros in Mykhailo Mudryk.

His arrival at Merengue took place a few months after his senior debut with the Ukraine national team shirt. He was the starting goalkeeper during a friendly 1-1 tie against Saudi Arabia in March 2018. An emblem watched him closely because his coach was Andriy Shevchenko, the national team’s all-time top scorer with 48 goals. Nothing was the result of chance because the young man was a fundamental part of the youth team that won the Under 20 World Cup held in Poland in 2019. Such was his preponderance that he won the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper in the competition. The same award that Emiliano Dibu Martínez won at the Senior level in the 2022 World Cup with Argentina.

The limited place within the Blanco club forced him to emigrate on loan to Leganés, Real Valladolid and Real Oviedo in his first two seasons in Spain. During those three stages, he accumulated 10 clean sheets in 29 games played. He returned in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and had to wait a semester to have a bitter debut as Real Madrid’s goalkeeper in the elimination against Alcoyano, a promotion team, in the third round of the Copa del Rey.

In these years, Andriy Lunin had lost his place in the consideration of the national team and became a substitute for Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica), although the 1.91 tall long man returned to the three posts for the Euro Cup Repechage. His country achieved two victories against Bosnia and Iceland to reach the event in Germany. He will make up Group E with Belgium, Slovakia and Romania. He will try to equal or surpass his best work in the quarterfinals reached in 2021, an edition of which Lunin was not part.

Andriy Lunin played 44 games for Real Madrid (Reuters/Jason Cairnduff)

Courtois’ stoppage was crucial for him to add shooting in the last half. He played 44 games in these six years with the White House with the particularity that 27 of those duels took place in the current season, in which he also recorded 12 undefeated goals. His career is marked by having won seven titles (1 Champions League, 1 Club World Cup, 1 European Super Cup, 1 League, 1 Copa del Rey and 2 Spanish Super Cups).

His team has the least goals scored in the Spanish League with 20 goals conceded and this Sunday they will have a test by fire, because they will face Barcelona in El Clásico. If they win, the team from the capital will take an 11-point lead against their second team with six games remaining. A tough game for a goalkeeper who proved to be reliable in defining circumstances.

2024-04-18 01:05:00
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