Alisson and Szczesny, Two Magic Hands That Changed Fate

PARIS, THURSDAY — The Round of 16 phase of the UEFA Champions League became lively thanks to the heroic performances of two veteran goalkeepers, Alisson Becker and Wojciech Szczesny. Through their magical touches, Liverpool and Barcelona managed to avoid misfortune. The resurgence of Alisson and Szczesny is quite rare, considering the fate of goalkeepers who are often scapegoated for their team's failures.

Unlike strikers, goalkeepers are often the target of supporters' disappointment. No matter how many saves they make, it will be forgotten if a single goal is conceded. The opposite is experienced by strikers. They will continue to be praised for scoring goals, even if they previously squandered numerous golden opportunities.

The fate of goalkeepers, often blamed for a team's failures, is elegantly depicted by Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano. Wherever they step, grass never grows.

The moment a goalkeeper receives such significant attention in a single match is relatively rare. Among the few instances, Alisson and Szczesny are two of them. They led their respective teams to victory in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, early Thursday morning (6/3/2025) Western Indonesia Time.

Thanks to a series of brilliant saves by Alisson, Liverpool managed to hold on and turn the game around to secure a victory. In another match, Szczesny fended off Benfica's attacks after Barcelona was reduced to 10 players. The goalkeeper's hands delivered miracles that changed the final outcome of the game.

Arriving at Parc des Princes Stadium, Paris, as the Premier League leaders, Liverpool was powerless against the relentless attacks from Paris Saint-Germain. From the start of the match, the team led by coach Luis Enrique aimed for an early goal and secured a victory with a significant goal margin as preparation for their visit to Liverpool's home ground in the second encounter.

Throughout the match, PSG recorded 27 shots, 10 of which were on target. However, none of these attempts managed to find the back of Liverpool's net. This was all thanks to the magical hands of Alisson, the first-choice goalkeeper of the Brazilian national team.

The many attacks suggested the match would likely end in a PSG victory. However, the opposite happened. Liverpool emerged victorious thanks to Harvey Elliott's only goal, three minutes from time.

“Full credit to the team. Paris got a little tired towards the end because of our hard work. They created chances but we managed to keep a clean sheet thanks to (Alisson) and the defence. It was a very solid game defensively,” Elliott said.

It is only natural that Alisson received the highest praise from his teammates. In addition to making nine crucial saves, Liverpool's winning goal also started from Alisson's vision. He realized that there was a large space left between the PSG goalkeeper and defender. Liverpool, who were under pressure throughout the match, had no choice but to play directly (direct).

In a transition situation, Alisson sent a measured goal kick to Darwin Nunez who then passed the ball to Elliott who converted it into a goal. Seeing Alisson's role in holding off attacks and building attacks from the back opened the public's awareness that the role of goalkeepers in modern football is so vital.

In addition to being required to secure the goal, the goalkeeper is also tasked with helping the attack. Alisson carried out the task very well so that not only did he prevent Liverpool from losing, he even achieved an important victory.

However, Alisson did not want to be big-headed. According to him, Liverpool's victory was achieved thanks to the hard work of the entire team. The statement is not entirely wrong. Apart from Alisson's magic hands, PSG players also relatively rarely get dangerous opportunities. That's because Liverpool players keep the penalty box area from being invaded by PSG. That way, PSG players will be forced to release long-range shots that are easily blocked by Allison.

Only a few chances were recorded from Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who faced Alisson directly. All of those chances were actually still thwarted from close range.

This is also the reason why despite recording 10 shots on target, PSG's xG value is quite small, which is only 1.82. Of the 10 shots on target, only three have a large xG value because they are directly facing Alisson in the penalty box.

“All the efforts the team makes make my job easier,” said Alisson.

A similar heroic story was also written by Szczesny who helped Barca win 1-0 over hosts Benfica at the Lisboa Sports Stadium. Like Liverpool and PSG, the match between Barca and Benfica was also one-sided after Pau Cubarsi received a red card in the 22nd minute. Playing with 10 men, Barca became an easy target for Benfica's attacks.

Without Szczesny's magic hands, Barca would have certainly gone home empty-handed. Benfica fired 26 shots with eight of them on target. But none resulted in a goal. On the contrary, Barca was able to take the lead thanks to a single goal from Raphinha in the 61st minute.

"It's clear that Szczesny is different. Every game he is more confident, and we defend better. I know he can play at this level because I see it every day in training," said Barca coach Hansi Flick.

Szczesny decided to return to playing after hanging up his boots when he agreed to terminate his contract with Juventus. He returned to the green field this season because he got the opportunity to defend Barca who lost their main goalkeeper, Marc-André ter Stegen, due to injury.

Liverpool and Barca are very fortunate to have world-class goalkeepers like Alisson and Szczesny. Thanks to them, the final result that should have been the opponent's victory could be reversed. For once, wherever the goalkeeper steps, the grass continues to grow. (REUTERS)