London, April 30: Gianluigi Donnarumma was hailed as a “titan” by Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique after producing some brilliant saves against Arsenal to ensure his team took a lead into the second leg of their Champions League semifinal next week.
The Italy goalkeeper continued his impressive form in the knockout stage by pulling off two one-handed stops low down to his left, first to deny Gabriel Martinelli and then Leandro Trossard, and preserve PSG’s clean sheet in a 1-0 win Tuesday.
Previously this campaign, Donnarumma was PSG’s star in a last-16 win over Liverpool with two saves in a penalty shootout at Anfield, while a series of great saves in the second half of the second leg against Aston Villa allowed the French champion to squeeze through the quarterfinals.
Luis Enrique rarely veers away from his praise for the collective but the Spanish coach let that mantra slip a touch after the Arsenal game.
“I really want to underline the work of 14 or 15 players,” he said. “.Obviously there were some players that shone a bit more than others and when you’re playing away against a team that’s so good at set pieces, you need a titan in goal.”
Actually, it was at a set piece that Donnarumma – occasionally weak under the high ball – made his one error of the night against Arsenal. He chose to come off his line in an attempt to get to the ball as Declan Rice swung in a free kick early in the second half, but then changed his mind and found himself stranded as Mikel Merino headed into an empty net.
Donnarumma was, however, bailed out by a video review that spotted Merino was offside.
Otherwise, the 26-year-old Italian – still bearing the scar on his right cheek from a nasty injury sustained against Monaco in the French league in December – was a reassuring presence, with his agility to tip aside Trossard’s left-footed shot particularly outstanding.
“He made the saves like he did against Liverpool and Villa,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said, “and that’s the difference in the Champions League.”
Indeed, there’s something about playing in England that seems to inspire Donnarumma.
The 1.96-meters goalkeeper might never top those penalty-shootout saves against England in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium that helped Italy win the European Championship for the first time four years ago.
At club level, however, he is proving a key reason why PSG might be ready to win the Champions League for the first time. (AP)
