English won over by Diogo Costa: “How is he still at FC Porto?” | OneFootball

Diogo Costa stood out in the match between FC Porto and Manchester City, with a performance that earned praise in England. Ian Wright, the former Arsenal striker, highlighted the Porto goalkeeper’s influence in the most demanding moments, especially against a team that created several dangerous chances. “Sometimes you see a goalkeeper put in a performance like this and you just have to stop and appreciate it,” said the former England forward, who described the Porto man as “extraordinary.”

The former England international particularly emphasized the degree of difficulty of some of the saves. “Not all of them were comfortable saves. Some required real reflexes, quick footwork, and the courage to make yourself big,” he said, also noting that Diogo Costa has produced similar performances on big stages before.

“He’s no longer a young goalkeeper waiting to make his mark. He has played big matches, played in the Champions League, represented Portugal, and repeatedly shown that he can perform under pressure,” Wright added, while also raising a question over how much longer the Portugal international will remain at the Dragão: “How long can FC Porto realistically keep a goalkeeper of this quality?”

Rio Ferdinand was another former player impressed by the FC Porto keeper’s display. The former Manchester United defender began by asking: “How is Diogo Costa still at FC Porto?”

Ferdinand drew attention to the number of saves made by Diogo Costa and recalled that the Portuguese goalkeeper has been linked for several years with a possible move to one of Europe’s top clubs. “We’ve been talking about this goalkeeper and a big transfer for about four years,” he said, referring to the continued interest the player attracts on the market.

At 26, Ferdinand believes Diogo Costa is long past being just a prospect. “He’s Portugal’s goalkeeper. He’s excellent between the posts and very good with his feet. This is no longer potential. Everybody knows what he is,” he stressed.

Peter Crouch also commented on the Portuguese goalkeeper’s performance and compared one of his interventions to a memorable save by Petr Cech in an FA Cup final. “I think I’ve seen this kind of save before, and it was when former Liverpool player Carroll was left stunned by the legendary Petr Cech in the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool.”

In Peter Schmeichel’s view, Diogo Costa reached the point where he was controlling not only the shots, but also the mental impact of the duel with the forwards. “There comes a point in a game when a goalkeeper starts getting into the opponents’ heads, and I think Diogo Costa reached that point tonight,” he said.

The former Manchester United and Sporting goalkeeper explained that a run of high-level saves can change the confidence of opposing forwards when facing the keeper. “The first big save gives you confidence. The second tells you you’re having a good night. But after three, four, five important saves, something changes. The striker starts thinking about the goalkeeper before even taking the shot,” he explained. For Schmeichel, that is the moment when the goalkeeper gains a decisive psychological advantage. “That’s when you know you’re winning the psychological battle,” he concluded.

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