A crystal Oblak

The eighth of the Champions reached the Metropolitan and Atlético hugged them with a punch to the nosez. In Rangnick’s face, in every United plan. Cholo Simeone’s impeccable approach from the board, from the legs of his players. Lodi, Kondogbia, Herrera. The Manchester surpassed, surpassed, annulled, erased. João Félix scored, 1-0, the goal was missing to confirm, a firmer sentence, the reflection of the game on the scoreboard. But the match ended 1-1. United tied. And all because he found a hole where everyone else does: Oblak’s suit. Zamora’s trend in five of the last six years in LaLiga is 21-22 like this, dangerously like this: one shot, one goal. The first one is already lying on the grass. In the Champions it was not less.

Installed at a worrying 50% this season, one of every two shots he receives is a goal, he is the goalkeeper who saves the least in the First Division. A trend that moves to Europe. Only once in all the games that Atlético has played in this Champions League has it been kept to zero. And it was ago, and it happened very far away: September, first day of the group stage, 0-0 against Porto. Afterwards, her gloves always went with a notch. One against Milan, three against Liverpool, another two at Anfield, another Italian and a last one from Porto, until yesterday, Elanga, United’s goal when Atleti only deserved to win.

Because he did, deserve it. Imperial Kondogbia, tremendous Herrera, absolute Lodi, João a lo João... And all the adjectives that come to mind. But he did not finish, but the last pass was missing. And twice the Atleti crashed with the sticks. And the first time that Oblak really saw himself before the English, he was shipwrecked. He put a hand on Reinildo’s neck, insurmountable 79 minutes, in 80 he lost the mark. Bruno Fernandes found Elanga and Elanga didn’t have to do much to find the net. Shoot and that’s it, shoot without too much force, if you want. Oblak stayed halfway, Oblak did not know whether to leave or not. Oblak was another match lying on the grass. Only in 9 of 47 games did he keep a clean sheet this seasonto. So little for a goalkeeper so much, that he aspired to history in this 21-22: to be the only Zamora six Leagues.