The man of faith was on fire.
And even a little more than that still.
If the PSG is in the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the second consecutive year, it is indeed to its Costa Rican goalkeeper, 34, that he owes it.
In a match that Paris seemed to go through with fear in the stomach, far, very far from the level posted three weeks ago at Camp Nou, Keylor Navas was one of the only ones, with Marquinhos and Kimpembe, to be faithful to the post.
“We are 100% motivated to provide the best possible match and win, the goalkeeper assured the day before at a press conference.
We are going to arrive on the pitch with even more envy than for the first leg.
We prepared to face all kinds of situations.
We are ready.
We have this margin, but we should not rely on it.
"
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PSG-Barcelona: Navas' incredible save on Messi's penalty
In addition to his ability to keep his rank of triple winner of the Champions League (2016, 2017, 2018), we now know that the former Real Madrid goalkeeper also keeps his promises.
Three weeks after Kylian Mbappé subjugated Europe with his hat-trick in Catalonia, Keylor Navas managed, almost on his own, to disgust FC Barcelona and all the Blaugrana people.
He, whose statistics against the Catalan club were however unfavorable, managed to reverse the trend at all levels.
In thirteen confrontations against Barcelona, Navas had indeed conceded the trifle of 28 goals before kick-off.
Yesterday, he conceded only one, on a fantastic strike from the left of Lionel Messi (37th).
The Panther has tamed the Flea
Above all, he avoided this sometimes petrified Paris to cash in a whole lot.
Planted behind a rather hermetic defensive block, it usually does not have to multiply interventions.
Yesterday, Barça was certainly the opponent who gave him the most work since his arrival in the capital in the summer of 2019.
After “warming up” on strikes from Dembélé (11th, 19th), Dest (23rd) or Busquets (42nd), the “panther” justified the nickname given to him in Spain against Leo Messi.
Not on La Pulga's 120th Champions League goal, unstoppable.
But just before the break, by deflecting the penalty of the six-fold Golden Ball with the knee.
The first missed by the Argentinian out of the 5 he had to shoot against Navas.
A thought for Sergio Rico
“It's always difficult against Messi, smiles the goalkeeper, elected man of the match, at the microphone of RMC Sport.
Thank God I was able to focus and stop it.
It gives a lot of joy.
This penalty is for Sergio Rico
(Editor's note: victim of family mourning)
and his family.
He has my full support.
"
The Costa Rican has certainly not broken the record of Petr Cech, holder with 10 saves in 2005 with Chelsea, the most saves in a Champions League match.
But the Costa Rican's nine interventions may be worth more than a record for Paris.
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“Personally, I've always dreamed big,” he said recently in an interview with the club magazine.
I remember people at school laughing at me for saying things they thought they couldn't do.
The mockery has long since disappeared to turn, even more since last night, in deep respect.
