A great goalkeeper is not just worth his salt; he is worth his weight in gold. Liverpool knows this only too well and now, so does the Brazilian national football team as well.
For all their renown as being an attacking side capable of scoring tons of goals, Brazil now have to thank Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, for the team’s win against Paraguay and their progression through to the semi-finals of the Copa America tournament.
Paraguay churned out a robust, dour performance with only ten men after Fabian Balbuena was sent off in the 58th minute for a foul on another Brazilian Liverpool player, Roberto Firmino. Following the incident, the referee awarded a penalty but after consulting a monitor pitch-side, he reverted to awarding a free kick on the edge of the box. Balbuena’s dismissal, however, stood.
Overall Brazil were the dominant side, but the stout defensive play that Paraguay put on meant that despite playing some good football and creating numerous opportunities, Brazil could not find the back of the net in normal time. With the score at 0-0 after 90-minutes and no extra time allowed until the final, the game went to a penalty shoot-out.
It was time for Alisson Becker to stand up and show his true worth. He had already made one fine save in the 29th minute to deny Paraguay’s, Derlis Gonzalez. But his best was yet to come. As the penalty shoot-out got underway, Becker saved the first of the spot-kicks when he went low to his left and palmed away Gustavo Gomez’s effort. He put Brazil in the driving seat.
However, Liverpool teammate Firmino almost ruined that excellent work. At three goals apiece, and with Brazil next to shoot, the Liverpool player placed the ball on the spot. He then made an indecisive stop-start run-up before skewing the shot wide of the post. Luckily for Brazil, Paraguay’s Derlis Gonzalez stepped up next but also put Paraguay’s fifth penalty kick wide.
With two misses to one, Brazil saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus stepped up to win the game 4-3, thanks to that early save by Alisson Becker. It seems unfair that so much attention should be lavished on the most valuable goal scorers. The fact of the matter is that great shot stoppers like Becker are extremely valuable too.
Becker is no stranger to facing penalties in crunch games. Many fans will remember his brilliant penalty save in the first leg of the 2015 Copa de Brazil quarterfinal when Palmeiras played International.
The Liverpool keeper has undoubtedly been Brazil’s player of the tournament to date. When playing for his club side, he has foiled Barcelona, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur. For his country, he has kept clean sheets in the Copa America 2019 against Bolivia, Honduras, Peru, Venezuela, and now Paraguay.
What are the chances that he can complete the competition without letting a goal in? If he could, it would undoubtedly set him aside as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, if not the best right now.
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