Picture Credit: Instagram
Football fans around the world were treated to some thrilling contests from the Champions League on Matchday 1 of the 2021-22 season of the competition on Tuesday. While there were many noticeable moments with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring and Bayern Munich continuing their dominant run over Barcelona, it was Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso's stunning save for Atalanta during their Group F opener against Villarreal at the El Madrigal which has left the fans in awe of him.
The save came towards the latter part of the first half when the scores were levelled at 1-1. It was then that the 27-year-old shot-stopper displayed great athleticism and reflexes to deny Gerard Moreno a goal from close range. The former Udinese goalie almost instinctively dived and timed his movement precisely to save the ball from finding the back of the nets after a header from the Spanish forward.
The match eventually ended in a 2-2 draw and Atalanta had no one except their goalkeeper to thank who helped them snatch a point out of the game, making some amazing saves throughout the match.
Check out the video of the save here:
Meanwhile, the official Instagram handle of Champions League also asked the fans to choose between Musso and yet another superb save from Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. While the opinions were clearly divided since both were splendid in their own regard, Paris Saint-Germain attacker Angel Di Maria chose his national teammate over Bounou.
Other than Mussuo's heroics, a goal each from Remo Freuler and Robin Gosens coming in the sixth and 83rd minute respectively, helped Atalanta draw the match 2-2. For Villarreal, Manu Trigueros scored in the 39th-minute and Arnaut Danjuma scored in the 73rd. Moreover, midfielder Francis Coquelin was handed a red card during the final few minutes of the match.
Notably, Musso joined Atalanta in July 2021 after spending three seasons with Udinese. Prior to his stint in Italy, the goalkeeper was playing for the Racing Club in Argentina. While he made his senior Argentina national team debut in 2019 during a friendly against Morocco, Musso was part of the contingent which lifted the Copa America trophy in 2021.