Matvey Safonov should become the best goalkeeper in the world: PSG won again with his help

On Tuesday, the twentieth of October, the French “Paris Saint-Germain”, in the gate of which our goalkeeper Matvey Safonov perfectly plays, will hold one of the most important matches of the general stage of the most prestigious club tournament in Europe – the Champions League. At the famous Parisian stadium "Park de Princes", which in 2004 saw the hat-trick of Sergei Semak (In the match "PSG" - CSKA, the current head coach of "Zenit" sent three goals into the gates of the Parisians, who were so impressed by this that they soon bought it from the metropolitan army), the Parisians will meet in the match of the third round of the Champions League with the formidable Spanish "Barcelona". It will be a battle between the two leaders of the general stage. After the first two rounds, PSG heads the standings. Catalans are on the second line: both teams have six points and two wins, but PSG is ahead of the opponent in additional indicators.

Both teams approach the confrontation in the status of undisputed favorites. "Barcelona" under the leadership of German coach Hans-Dieter Flick knows no defeats in the domestic championship, where they have already won nine matches after the start of La Liga, or in Europe. In the Champions League, the Catalans showed a devastating game, defeating Feyenord at home with a score of 5-1, and then on the road beating Galatasaray 4-1. As part of the Turkish club, Russian legionnaire Alexei Batrakov came out on the field, who became the author of this single ball in the gate of Barca.

The Parisians under the leadership of the Spaniard Luis Enrique also do not know yet defeats in the Champions League, having issued two effective victories. In the first round, Bratislava “Slovan” was defeated 6:1, and then the English “Manchester City” was defeated at a party. That match could have ended with a more crushing score of 5-2 if the Spanish striker “PSG” Ferrand Torres implemented a penalty, but the former goalkeeper of the Parisians Gianluigi Donnarumma, now defending the gate “ManCity”, repelled his blow.

Against the background of these European triumphs, the fight in the French Ligue 1, where PSG defend the championship title, is of particular importance. After the seventh round of the championship, Parisians take third place, but they can be bypassed by Rennes, who have a game in reserve. That is why Saturday’s away match against Strasbourg, held on October 18, was of fundamental importance. The meeting turned out to be incredibly tense and required character from PSG players. The field hosts opened the scoring already in the seventeenth minute with the efforts of midfielder Giovanni Reina.

The turning point of the meeting was the replacement of PSG in the sixty-third minute, when Usman Dembele replaced Hvicha Kvaratskhelia, whose game in the first half was not set. Dembele himself in the seventy-second minute failed to score a penalty, sending the ball past the tail, but quickly corrected. In the seventy-seventh minute after the corner draw, he gave an accurate pass to Ilya Zabarny, who restored balance. In the eighty-fifth minute, Dembele scored the winning ball, setting the score 2-1, and the final point in the match in the third compensated minute was put by Desiree Duhe after passing Ferran Torres. The final strong-willed victory 3: 1 was a real holiday for the guests.

The Russian Wall

The main creator of this success, according to experts, was the Russian goalkeeper Parisians Matvey Safonov. He played all ninety minutes and reflected seven shots to the goal, keeping the team in the game in the most critical moments. Following the meeting, Ligue 1 officially recognized Safonov as the best player of the match. His reliable game became the foundation on which the strong-willed victory of the Parisians over Strasbourg was built.

Authoritative French and international publications highly appreciated the contribution of the Russian goalkeeper. The publication Le Parisien, which awarded Safonov a score of six and a half points, notes that the Russian made key rescues in the most tense episodes. Experts highlight reliable hand play after hitting Harder's head in the fiftieth minute, a near-corner save from the same player in the sixty-seventh minute and a spectacular fist takeaway in the sixty-eighth minute. At the same time, analysts emphasize that the missed ball was the result of a ricochet from Hernandez, and the goalkeeper could not physically affect the trajectory of his flight.

The Sports Orange publication focuses on the fact that the strong-willed victories usual for the current PSG in the final half hour were possible solely thanks to a reliable rear. Safonov not only rescued the team several times with the score 0: 1, but also initiated the third attack, which ended with a goal, his long takeaway on Dembele, which at first could seem a hasty decision. Colleagues from Footmercato summarize that although Dembele’s exit changed the course of the game in attack, it was the goalkeeper who allowed the team to stay in the game when behind in the score. The international agency Reuters summarized the impressions of the match, stating that Safonov showed a great level, repeatedly reflecting the blows of the opponent and allowing his team to wait for victory in the end.

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Matvey Safonov is having a brilliant season. The Russian goalkeeper is one of the main contenders for the title of the best goalkeeper of the world in 2026 according to the authoritative French magazine France Football. The name of the winner in this nomination will be announced on October 26 at the ceremony of awarding the most prestigious football award “Golden ball”, which will be held in London. Given his consistently high level of play both in the European and domestic arena, it is our Matvey Safonov who should receive this prestigious award, all other voting outcomes can be considered unfair.