Victims of careless hands, dodgy feet
If there’s one position any football manager doesn’t want to have a problem with, it’s with the goalkeeper. It doesn’t matter if an outfield player has a poor match as it is unlikely it will directly affect the result. But if the goalkeeper has a dodgy game, it usually means you will be severely punished.
As Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc commented: “Being a goalkeeper is like being the guy in the military who makes the bombs — one mistake and everyone gets blown up.”
Which brings us to the misfortune that befell Liverpool’s Loris Karius in Kiev last Saturday night. It is just a reminder of how a goalkeeper is always on the brink of plunging from hero to zero in the blink of an eye, or in this case, a distracted roll out of a ball.
In the first half against Real Madrid the German goalkeeper had made a brilliant save from Ronaldo. But this was all forgotten in the following 45 minutes with two enormous blunders which need no repeating here as they have been played over and over on television this week.
All goalkeepers, no matter how good they are, make some terrible mistakes during their careers, but usually get over them. Unfortunately for Karius he made his worst mistake in the biggest match of his life, the Champions League final. Even worse, it was also the biggest match for his teammates, so in addition to his personal suffering he felt he had also let the whole team down and of course all the fans.
Understandably, Karius was totally distraught after the game yet he was brave enough to offer apologetic applause to the Liverpool fans in the stadium after the final whistle. Disappointed as they were, most of the Kop Army appreciated he was going through a personal hell at that moment. But of course it didn’t ease the pain.
His teammates were criticised for not going to console him at the end of the match, and it would have been nice to see someone in red go up and give him bit of a cuddle. But this was left to the Real Madrid players, although it was a lot easier for them to be considerate seeing that they had just enjoyed their third straight European title. To be fair to the Liverpool players, they were all extremely distraught at losing the game and probably had no appropriate words of comfort for their beleaguered teammate.
Sadly, Karius received death threats on social media from so-called fans which is truly sickening.
The next day Karius apologised to the fans on social media: “I know I messed it up with the two mistakes and let you all down,” he wrote. “Haven’t really slept until now. The scenes are still running through my head again and again.”
You had to feel for him, as these high profile mistakes are potentially ruinous for his career. But the bitter truth is that he is a well-paid professional and he made two bad errors at the highest level.
He did get some moral support from a most unlikely source. Mia Khalifa, described as “a retired adult film star”, posted an Instagram message, saying “mistakes are human nature” and adding a rude insult to Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos who many feel was responsible for the injury to Mo Salah which proved a turning point in the match.
There is no doubt that goalkeepers are a breed apart. Fans find it a lot easier, and more fun, recalling a goalie’s errors rather than great saves. And nothing looks more silly than when a keeper trips over the ball when he’s trying to do some fancy footwork. That’s always worth a laugh. At the same time, strikers are always remembered more for their spectacular goals rather than their horrific misses.
As former Liverpool star Ian Rush once said: “It’s best being a striker. If you miss five then score the winner, you’re a hero. The goalkeeper can play a blinder, then let one in… and he’s a villain.”
It is no coincidence former Arsenal keeper Bob Wilson’s autobiography is entitled You’ve Got To Be Crazy. Another former Gunners and England goalie was David Seaman. Although he was one of England’s most consistent keepers for more than a decade, Seaman tends to be remembered for his few, but admittedly spectacular screw-ups.
There was the Ronaldhinio mis-hit that floated over his head in the 2002 World Cup, the Macedonian corner kick which also floated over his head in a Euro qualifier in the same year, and the 1995 European Cup Winners Cup when a lob from 50 yards… err… floated over his head. At least there was some consistency in his errors.
It got so bad that when Seaman was spotted in the street in London, pedestrians would suddenly totter backwards in exaggerated fashion and pretend to watch a ball dipping over their heads.
Someone who knew all about the dark side was Leeds and Wales keeper Gary Sprake, who will always be remembered for the magical moment when he accidentally threw the ball into the back of his own net while playing against Liverpool at Anfield in 1967. For his generosity, Sprake was treated for the rest of the match with the Kop singing a rousing rendition of the Des O’Connor hit Careless Hands. Sprake was actually an accomplished goalie and a key player in Leeds’ dominance at that time.
Goalkeepers never know what might happen next. Many years ago Colchester custodian Graham Smith performed his usual pre-match ritual of kicking the foot of the two posts. He kicked the first post, jogged along the goal-line and kicked the other. He was ready for action. That’s when the crossbar fell on his head.