Bad times for the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeepers. Holder of the position since the departure of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Lucas Chevalier (24 years old) has seen the sky darken as he struggles to achieve unanimity, he whose lack of confidence, regularity and character are singled out. To make matters worse, he was in the middle of a storm last Sunday a few hours before the clash against OL in Ligue 1 after having liked the publication of a member of the RN on social networks. The international tricolor has firmly denied any link with the political party and its ideas. Beyond this dark affair, the former LOSC player is increasingly questioned by certain supporters, who want Matvey Safonov to have his chance.
Gigio’s understudy last year, the Russian was hoping for an improvement and to experience real competition with the Frenchman this season. But the message is rather clear from Luis Enrique and his staff since he has not played a single minute this season. Increasingly tired and annoyed by his situation, Safonov half-opened the door to leaving. But nothing has changed since he has not had any playing time. Which he went to get in Russia, where we are still counting on him. On Tuesday, the team’s goalkeeping coach, Vitaly Kafanov, admitted: “yes, Matvey is number one (in selection). Despite the lack of playing time at PSG, he is in excellent shape thanks to constant training with big names.
A mistake for Matvey Safonov
He then added that his player can compete with Lucas Chevalier, but that he must be given a chance. In the meantime, he returned to the field last night in Saint Petersburg for the friendly match between Russia and Peru. Starting at the kick-off, he saw his team open the score in the 18th minute of play thanks to Aleksandr Golovin (1-0). Served by Alekseï Miranchuk, who took advantage of a gross error by Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, the Monaco player scored in the empty goal. The Sbornaya thought she had done the hardest part. But now Matvey Safonov also made a mistake which cost his team a goal in the 82nd minute of play.
“An attacker with the original name of Valera tested Safonov with a powerful long-range strike. The test failed: Safonov dove to catch the ball, but failed to block it.writing Sport Express to describe this goal. The Russian media later added in its analysis of the match: “Safonov’s blunder deprived the Russian team of victory against Peru. She conceded a goal late in the match following an error by Safonov. Matvey’s leg clearly gave way due to the far from ideal state of the Gazprom Arena pitch. Karpin’s team did not score in the remaining time, and the match ended with a score of 1-1. The Russian publication Championship also pointed out the error of the Parisian player.
The Russian press and the coach do not spare him
“Matvey was an unpleasant surprise. Safonov made a mistake, allowing Valera to score (…) In the 82nd minute, Valera stunned the crowd. It was not the coach of the Russian national team, but the Universitario player, Alex Valera. With a powerful strike from 30 meters, he took Safonov by surprise! Matvey, visibly late in his reaction, only touched the ball instead of blocking it. Guilty on the Peruvian goal according to the press, Safonov was at the center of the debates after the match. Some rushed to his aid, like his teammate Matvey Lukin. “Did Safonov apologize?” No one expected an apology. Everyone makes mistakes. Honestly, I didn’t see the situation. Of course, he didn’t save the match, but Matvey is a very good goalkeeper, very talented. It was therefore out of the question to reproach him for anything.”
On Russian television, Andrei Talalaev, the Baltika coach, was also on his side. “If Matvey had been in top form, he would not have conceded this goal. His leg gave way and he lost his concentration. But the Ile-de-France resident was not frankly supported by others. His teammate, Aleksei Miranchuk, said: “It’s football. It’s a shame to have conceded this goal. We couldn’t score. I think that with a second goal, the match would have been calmer. We had our chances. This goal conceded was a surprise. First, we conceded a shot. Matvey, maybe, didn’t expect it… I don’t know, maybe it was unexpected. The ball was following such an unpredictable trajectory that it deviated and went slightly off the intended trajectory.”
The goalkeeper was sent back to PSG
His coach, Valery Karpin, did the same. “If there had been a qualifying match, would we have lost points? If there had been a qualifying match now, the team composition would have been different. Safonov might not have played. We had no chances in front of our goal. We conceded a goal because Safonov’s leg slipped, and certainly the goalkeeper lost his balance. I’m not an expert. He may have missed the goal, and his leg slipped. You can see it clearly in slow motion. I think if his leg hadn’t slipped, the goal wouldn’t have been scored.” Then he added regarding the future and the situation of his player: “He’s a mature player. He will make the decision he deems necessary. I don’t think he’s happy with his current situation at PSG. The time will come when he will have to make a decision.”
The goalkeeper no longer plays and this impacts the Russian selection. “The 26-year-old goalkeeper is going through a difficult period: he no longer plays for PSG and is losing ground in the selection. Let’s hope that Safonov quickly returns to his best level, but for now, let’s focus on the match against Chile, which will take place on November 15 in Sochi. It will be interesting to see if Matvey’s replacement manages to keep his clean sheet.” Because as the Russian football federation indicated this morning, Safonov is not part of the group which will play on November 15 against Chile in a friendly. No reason was given in the press release. Some believe this is linked to his mistake last night, as there was no mention of an injury in the RFU’s message. What is certain is that he was authorized to return to Paris. The Russian coach confirmed that he is the only foreign player in the group to leave the gathering. Times are tough for Safonov…
