Keeper linked with Sporting drops clanger in Champions League (video) | OneFootball

Luiz Júnior stood out on the first night of the Champions League, for all the wrong reasons. The goalkeeper, who has previously been on Sporting’s radar, made a blunder that ended up sealing Villarreal’s 1-0 defeat against Tottenham last Tuesday, September 16.

With only four minutes gone at the Tottenham Stadium, the Spurs launched an attack down the right wing, thanks to a burst of speed from Lucas Bergvall. The Swede crossed the ball into the box, but his attempt went straight to the Brazilian keeper. With the play seemingly under control, the former Famalicão player failed to catch the ball properly, and it slowly rolled into the net.

This early lead in the first encounter between Tottenham and Villarreal would not be overturned and Luiz Júnior’s blunder ended up being the decisive moment that determined the winner of the match. As a result, the Londoners, featuring former Sporting players Pedro Porro and João Palhinha, took all three points.

It’s worth recalling that, while still defending Famalicão’s ambitions, the Brazilian goalkeeper was linked with a possible move to Sporting. Luiz Júnior was seen as the successor to Antonio Adán, but the chosen one ended up being Vladan Kovacevic.

This season, Luiz Júnior – valued at 10 million euros – has been ever-present in Villarreal’s goal, playing five matches: four in La Liga and one in the Champions League. In his 450 minutes on the pitch, he has already conceded four goals and kept two clean sheets.

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