Ter Stegen, safe bet

There was debate over the goal until the end. Xavi and his coaching staff trust Iñaki Peña, until yesterday the goalkeeper of the Copa del Rey, but Marc Ter Stegen’s good moment made them doubt in one of the most complicated games of the month of January. Taking advantage of the German’s excellent form is a good reason to bet on him, to send security to an impeccable defense and to send a message to the rest of the team: “Play Marc, the coach will go all out. With that’s all.”

And the goalkeeper has again been decisive as in recent games. Marc appeared to once again keep a clean sheet (and has 14 this season, 13 in the league and one in the Cup) and put Barça in the semifinals. Two minutes from the end, the Barcelona goalkeeper prevented Robert Navarro, a culé youth squad, from drawing. With Real Sociedad pressing, Ter Stegen missed the pass that led to San Sebastian’s attack. He treated it himself by being a cat and putting in a stiff arm to deflect the Catalan striker’s shot from Real.

And that in extra time, Marc was providential again to cover a shot from Olasagasti. Young footballer txuri urdin picked up the ball on the edge of the area and the German international again showed his reflexes to save Xavi Hernández’s team in the last gasp.

Two actions of great merit almost at the end of a match marked by cold, but in which the German goalkeeper knew how to hold on to the pure because he had no job before. Of course, in his first encounter with danger, Japan’s Take Kubo, another ex-culé youth squad standout for Imanol Sheriff’s men, sent a whiplash over the crossbar although on replay it looked like the German could handle the ball using tips. his fingers. And in the second half he saw how Sorloth wasted a cross from Take that left him with an empty goal.