Four stunning saves and a crowning moment: who is Safonov, PSG’s hero | OneFootball

Matvey Safonov was the standout figure for Paris Saint-Germain in the Intercontinental Cup final against Flamengo. After a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes, the Russian goalkeeper saved four out of five penalties in the shootout, securing the French team's title in Qatar.

In the shootout, Nicolás De La Cruz scored the first shot for the Brazilian team, but then Safonov saved the shots from Saúl Ñíguez, Pedro, Leo Pereira, and Luiz Araújo. The save against Pedro sparked a strong controversy due to an alleged encroachment, although VAR validated the action. With this performance, the Russian surpassed the record of Jorge Seré, who had stopped three penalties in the 1988 Intercontinental Cup.

Safonov is 26 years old and made his professional debut in 2017 with Krasnodar, a club he played for until mid-2024. In June of that year, he was transferred to PSG for 20 million euros. In Paris, he started as a backup to Gianluigi Donnarumma and Lucas Chevalier, although he always expressed his intention to fight for the position.

He is also part of the Russian national team, and his arrival at the club was marked by political tensions, especially with Ukrainian Illya Zabarnyi, who publicly expressed his stance on the war between the two countries. Safonov avoided commenting on the matter.

In the current season, he played only nine matches, but the injury of the starting goalkeeper opened a crucial opportunity for him. Luis Enrique trusted him for the final, and he responded with a historic performance. With this achievement, Safonov now has six titles with PSG, including this latest one in the Intercontinental Cup.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.