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Andriy Lunin reveals how he saved Bernardo Silva's penalty in Champions League win

  • Lunin denied both Silva and Mateo Kovacic in the penalty shoot-out as Real Madrid beat Man City on Wednesday
  • Ukraine international humiliated Silva by standing still and catching his chipped effort
  • Kepa Arrizabalaga seen offering advice to Lunin before the shoot-out

Sean Walsh

Lunin stood tall to deny Bernardo Silva
Lunin stood tall to deny Bernardo Silva / PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin admitted he expected Bernardo Silva to fire his penalty down the middle in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final.

Having held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw across 120 minutes, Madrid headed to a penalty shoot-out, where Lunin saved from both Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic to help Los Blancos come out on top and book their place in the final four.

Lunin's stop from Silva was particularly brutal as he simply stood still and caught the Portugal international's effort, and he has admitted his preparation for the game left him confident Silva would shoot down the centre.

"Before the shoot-out we prepared all the City players who were still on the pitch, we had to take a risk with one, we chose one and thank goodness it turned out well, Bernardo's," Lunin explained. "There were three options to stay in the centre and we have decided on one."

Interestingly, Lunin was seen preparing for the shoot-out with teammate Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has faced penalties from City during his time with parent club Chelsea.

Back in 2019's Carabao Cup final, Kepa was beaten from the spot by Silva, who sent his effort right down the middle.

While it was Lunin who took the plaudits after the final whistle, the goalkeeper was keen to praise his Madrid teammates for their mammoth effort to even get to penalties.

"In these cases I say that there are games that you have to suffer, that you have to overcome them, that you can't always play with the ball and be the best team on the field," he said. "For me, above all, a great experience and the team has suffered greatly, I cannot run like that for even five minutes and they have run 120."

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Sean Walsh
SEAN WALSH

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