Showcasing a selection of the best saves from across the world each week.
FADE IN:
Red curtain raised. Tape left behind. Stoppers serving to brilliantly ruin the script. Anti-football art forms. These aren't just ‘for the camera'…but, let's face it: they'd look good on the silver screen.
[NARRATOR]: And we're back. The Stoplight - our weekly instalment shining a light on the best saves spotted throughout the web, across the world - opens with two stellar goalkeeping clips to to begin the showreel.
This week, we travel to:
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[NARRATOR]: A common yet sometimes unwarranted criticism of goalkeepers is that they stay planted when a free-kick is pinged into the upper echelons of the net. ‘The 'keeper didn’t even move’ has been uttered countless times, by people who have definitely not faced an 80 mph deadball!
One keeper didn’t quite get the memo and flew horizontally to save a free-kick destined for the top corner; a quite brilliant bit of goalkeeping by DC United’s Tyler Miller. Undoubtedly, however, it will be beyond recollection in a matter of days, as the rebound unfortunately fell straight to another attacker who smacked it past the hapless Miller.
Your Goalkeeper: Tyler Miller (DC United)
Fixture: D.C. United vs. Toronto FC
League: MLS
Final Score: DC United 3-2 Toronto FC
Date: February 25th 2023
Location: Audi Field - Washington, D.C., United States
CUE: And, your save…
[Narrator]: And now to the rough and tumble of the English football league, littered with talented goalkeepers old and young, vying to help their respective teams climb the vast football pyramid.
[NARRATOR CONT.]: One such valiant youngster is Crewe Alexandra's James Beadle. A fresh faced 18 year old, learning his trade the right way, playing some good old physical EFL football. In just his second ever professional game, he's already proving his worth to League Two strugglers Crewe, producing a save that has to be seen to be believed. A deflection that would send many a 'keeper to the proverbial shops didn't catch the youngster out, who excellently diverted his body weight back across himself to tip the ball on to the woodwork. The alertness to make the second smothering save is the cherry on top. Bravo that man!
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Goalkeeper: James Beadle (Crewe Alexandra)
Fixture: Crewe Alexandra vs A.F.C. Rochdale
League: EFL League Two
Final Score: Crewe Alexandra 1-1 A.F.C. Rochdale
Date: 25th February 2023
Location: The Mornflake Stadium - Crewe, Cheshire, England
CUE: And, your save…
[NARRATOR]: To finish off, we're off to Ligue 1
Sometimes, Ligue 1 has sometimes struggled to subsist from an entertainment standpoint in the past decade, largely down to predictability and chasms in quality spanning the division. However, this year seemed to look different. That was until PSG rolled over Marseille 3-0 at the Stade Vélodrome on Sunday night, going a long way towards a ninth title in just eleven seasons.
The scoreline would suggest that the Parisians dictated the game, however plenty of credit must go to Gianluigi Donnarumma, who upon several occasions had the answer to whatever was thrown at him - including the one below, our pick of the bunch. It's crazy to think he is still only 24.
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Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint Germain)
Fixture: Marseille vs Paris Saint Germain
League: Ligue 1
Final Score: Marseille 0-3 Paris Saint Germain
Date: 26th February 2023
Location: Stade Vélodrome - Marseille, France
CUE: And, your save…
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If you see a save that deserves its moment in the stoplight, send in a link to official footage of it on social media via [email protected].
