He was the hero in the European Championship finals, but he didn't really cheer.
Gianluigi Donnarumma now explains why he reacted this way after the last penalty saved.
Munich / London - They really do exist, these stories that only football writes.
When Bukayo Saka walked the long way from the center line towards the penalty spot just before 11 p.m. local time in Wembley on Sunday evening, he probably knew the burden on his shoulders.
Jordan Pickford had parried the supposed decisive penalty against Jorginho and kept the Three Lions in the game in the European Championship final between Italy and England.
But Saka had to score, as Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, who had been substituted for the penalty shoot-out, had failed at the post and Italy's national goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
EM 2021: unbelievable reason!
That is why Italy goalkeeper Donnarumma did not cheer after the last penalty
Arsenal's youngster knew he had to score, otherwise it would be England's first title in 55 years.
Saka ran up - and shot!
While the 19-year-old immediately knew what was going on, Donnarumma stepped surprisingly cool towards the outside line - without showing any emotion.
Many fans asked themselves: Can you really be that cool in such a situation?
No!
Donnarumma simply did not know that he had just made Italy * the European champion.
"I didn't cheer straight away because I didn't realize it," said the 22-year-old in
Gazzetta Dello Sport
: "I was already down after Jorginho's penalty because I thought we lost," reveals Donnarumma.
Video: Donnarumma holds - Rome is freaking out
The goalkeeper, who is likely to move from AC Milan * to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, also explains that he was initially afraid that Björn Kuipers would have the penalty repeated again.
"I looked at the referee to see if everything was okay," said Donnarumma in any case.
"Then I saw my teammates running towards me and understood nothing at all."
It was only when Andrea Belotti, who had missed Italy's first penalty, jumped onto Donnarumma's back that the keeper understood what his penalty meant.
Afterwards the jubilation knew no bounds.
Such stories are only written by football ...
(smk) * tz.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
