While Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario had a torrid Sunday afternoon conceding three times to Brighton at the Amex Stadium, one of Spurs’ former ‘keepers enjoyed saving three penalties during one game.
Vicario could do little as Tottenham blew a 2-0 lead to Brighton, but the footballing drama clearly wasn’t reserved for just the Premier League at the weekend.
Indeed, as during Girona’s 2-1 win against Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in La Liga on Sunday, one former Tottenham Hotspur player put in a heroic performance to ensure all three points stayed in Catalonia.
Ex-Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga pulls off heroics
Gazzaniga celebrates saving a penalty for Girona (Image credit: Getty Images)
Penalties were clearly the narrative referee Juan Luis Pulido Santana wanted to stick to at Girona’s Estadi Montilivi, as he awarded three during the match. The first came in the 28th minute, when a VAR review saw Athletic Bilbao earn their first spot-kick of the afternoon.
Striker Alejandro Berenguer Remiro stepped up, but Gazzaniga saved to keep the scores level. Girona’s Yasser Asprilla then opened the scoring for the Catalan side later in the first half, before Oihan Sancet levelled just minutes later.
Then, early in the second half, Athletic Bilbao were awarded another penalty. This time Inaki Williams stepped up, with Gazzaniga saving once more. However, the former Tottenham man had stepped off his line in doing so, leading to the penalty being retaken.
Gazzaniga playing for Spurs (Image credit: Getty Images)
The Argentine atoned for his error, stopping Ander Herrera’s spot-kick to make it three penalty saves in the game. It proved crucial, too, as Cristhian Stuani scored the winner for Girona in the 99th minute – from a penalty of his own – after Aitor Paredes had been sent off for Athletic Bilbao.
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Gazzaniga faced 13 shots in total during the game, though only four were on target – including two of the penalties he saved (Williams’ penalty doesn’t count towards the stats due to it being retaken).
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During his four years at Spurs, Gazzaniga made 37 appearances in all competitions. He was signed from Southampton where he had played for six years, before a loan move to Elche then saw him drop into the Championship with Fulham in 2021/22.
Another loan came in 2022/23, this time to Girona, followed, before he joined permanently at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign. The 32-year-old has since become the No.1 at Girona, helping the Spanish side into the Champions League.
