Paulsen mustn’t bottle it in playoffs
Goalkeeper Alex Paulsen will need to protect his drink bottle if Wellington Phoenix’s semifinal against Melbourne Victory is decided by a penalty shootout.
While revelling in Victory’s incredible win over Melbourne City in last weekend’s elimination final, penalty hero Paul Izzo confessed to a secret.
Izzo found notes written on opposition goalkeeper Jamie Young’s drink bottle before the shootout.
So he tossed them into the crowd, evoking memories of when Socceroos goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne did the same thing in a World Cup qualifier against Peru.
Goalkeepers have been known to stick notes to their water bottles to remind themselves which side players prefer to place their penalties.
“That’s toxic,” said Paulsen, when he was asked about Izzo’s antics.
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter for me if he has those notes. I’m very confident in the boys that when they get that opportunity to take a penalty they will score them.
“I don’t think you’ll see me doing any bottle tossing.”
With the prospect of a possible penalty shootout looming at the end, the two goalkeepers look set to play a lead role in the two-legged semifinal.
Izzo denied Tolgay Arslan from the penalty spot in the first half of normal time and then saved attempts from Terry Antonis, Callum Talbot and James Jeggo during the shootout.
Paulsen has the highest save percentage overall and he has made a name for himself as a penalty specialist too.
He puts his excellent penalty record down to the work that goes on behind the scenes before every game.
“It comes from the work we do as a collective with our goalkeeper union,” he said.
“We do as much analysis on the penalty takers [as we can] and that gives us confidence heading into the semifinals, where it could potentially go to penalties.”
The Phoenix travel to AAMI Park, a venue where they have traditionally struggled, to play Victory in the first leg of the semifinals tomorrow.
Since a 3-0 win in 2017, the Phoenix have failed to win there in 20 attempts.
They did not test Izzo once when the Phoenix last played Victory in Melbourne at the beginning of the season.
The Phoenix failed to register a single shot across the 90 minutes but still walked away with a 1-1 draw because Victory conceded an own goal.
“We’re going to try there and beat our record from the last game – 0 shots,” Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano joked.
It’s vital that even if the Phoenix lose, they keep the score tight to give themselves the best chance when they return to Wellington for game two.
The semifinals will be the biggest games of Paulsen’s career since he took over as Phoenix starter, but Italiano backed him to rise to the occasion. “He’s been the best keeper in the league all year.”