Gabriel Delfim seizes his chance and makes Galo history | OneFootball

Gabriel Delfim experienced one of the most special moments of his Atlético journey on Wednesday night (16). At 24, the goalkeeper developed in the Club’s youth academy was decisive in Galo’s qualification for the Copa Sudamericana semifinal, saving three penalties in the shootout against Santos at Arena MRV.

After Atlético’s 4-2 win in regular time, which left the tie level at 4-4 on aggregate, the decision went to penalties. And Delfim stepped up.

The goalkeeper saved attempts from Gabriel Barbosa, João Schmidt, and Arthur Melo. With three saves, he matched a feat previously achieved by two historic Atlético goalkeepers: Victor and Everson. Victor did it against Unión La Calera in 2015, in the Copa Sudamericana itself. Everson saved three penalties against Flamengo in the 2022 Supercopa do Brasil, which Galo won.

For Atlético, Gustavo Scarpa, Igor Gomes, and Thiago Borbas converted their penalties. Fred had his effort saved by Gabriel Brazão. On the other side, only Gabriel Bontempo scored. The result was 3-1 to Galo on penalties.

Preparation for the decisive moment

Despite the scale of the performance, Delfim treated the saves as the result of work that had begun long before qualification night.

The goalkeeper said that preparation for a possible penalty shootout was part of the group’s routine, with analysis of potential takers and joint work between the goalkeepers and the goalkeeping coaches.

Delfim made a point of sharing the spotlight. For him, although he was the one making the saves on the field, the result was a consequence of the work done every day at Atlético.

That attitude was also highlighted by Bernard after the match.

“God doesn’t warn you when an opportunity is coming”

Delfim’s teammate on a daily basis, Bernard emphasized the goalkeeper’s journey and the way he seized the opportunity he received after Everson’s injury.

The number 11 also highlighted the importance of being ready for moments that cannot be predicted.

For Bernard, Delfim is exactly that kind of person.

The forward also praised the work the goalkeeper has been doing since he started replacing Everson.

From backup to protagonist

Delfim became the starter after Everson suffered a fracture in his left foot. Since then, he has gained minutes and confidence in a run that culminated in the most important night of his professional career so far.

Against Santos, the goalkeeper started from the opening whistle and had to deal with the pressure of a knockout match in which Atlético needed to overturn a two-goal deficit.

Over the 90 minutes, Galo did its part, scored four times, and took the decision to penalties. When the time came to decide the spot, Delfim turned preparation into action.

Santos’ first penalty was taken by Gabigol. Delfim saved it.

Then João Schmidt was also denied by the Atlético goalkeeper.

After penalties converted by Scarpa and Igor Gomes and Bontempo’s goal, Arthur Melo had the chance to put Santos back in the contest. Delfim came up big again.

Next, Thiago Borbas scored and sealed qualification.

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A night among idols

The feat places Delfim alongside two goalkeepers who defined an era at Atlético.

Victor made three saves in a penalty shootout against Unión La Calera in 2015, in the Copa Sudamericana. Seven years later, Everson repeated the feat against Flamengo in the 2022 Supercopa do Brasil, when he saved three penalties in the shootout that ended with Galo lifting the trophy.

Now, on another Sudamericana night, Delfim has reached the same mark.

The difference is that this time, it happened in a packed Arena MRV, in front of 40,013 fans, in a match worth a place among the final four of the competition.

“Today we were all successful together”

Even after a decisive individual performance, Delfim again highlighted the collective effort.

His words sum up the way the goalkeeper viewed the biggest night of his career so far: as the result of a process.

The opportunity came. And Delfim was ready.

On the night Galo needed a hero to complete a historic comeback, the homegrown goalkeeper stepped up. Three times.

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