Brilliant Real Madrid foiled by Keylor Navas at his best
Keylor Navas had 10 saves against Real Madrid. This is the most amount of saves for the Tico since arriving in Paris.
There are players that leave an indelible sensation in the fans due to their hard work on the pitch. One of those players is Keylor Navas, who once starred for Real Madrid.
Navas joined Iker Casillas and Juan Alonso to be the third goalkeeper in Real Madrid’s history to win three European Cups. The difference is that Alonso won it when it was the European Champion Clubs’ Cup and Navas in the reformatted UEFA Champions League.
He’s not only a historic goalie for Real Madrid, but he was also loved by the fans. He was respected due to his dedication. He wouldn’t speak a lot because all of his answers came as saves on the pitch.
These saves were celebrated by Madrid fans all over the world, and these same saves were suffered by Madridistas all over the globe as Madrid went head-to-head against Paris Saint-Germain. Some could feel nostalgic to see Navas with another jersey doing what he did best when he was in Madrid, but it also brought optimism.
It’s difficult to recall the last time Madrid played so well in a Champions League game at home. The team had a challenging year with Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari, and the last game against Galatasaray was effective but not colorful.
Madrid controlled most of the first half with Isco having complete freedom to navigate the midfield. A level of freedom that allowed him to be inside of the box and knock a shot on the post that led to Karim Benzema‘s first goal. One of the few times that Navas didn’t have an answer.
After that, Navas saved shots from Toni Kroos and Daniel Carvajal. It was one after the other. It was as if Navas had never left the Santiago Bernabéu.
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Lastly, it brings hope. Madridistas all over the world saw what this team can achieve. Marcelo looked brilliant on the attack. Kroos kept getting closer to the goal due to his highly-educated right leg shots from outside of the box. He finished with four shots, 101 passes, and 98% accuracy on his passes. His two companions, Casemiro and Fede Valverde, in the midfield provided a well-needed balance in attack as well as in defense to hold players like Kylian Mbappé and Neymar.
Navas returned to his former home, and he brought with him hope and optimism for the future.