Football may be about scoring goals, but it was the goalkeepers who shone this World Cup in Qatar. Data released by FIFA explains why.
Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Luka Modric may get all the love at this World Cup, but it’s the goalkeepers who have been the highlight of this tournament.
In a sport where goals matter most, it was the men charged with stopping those shots who helped their team reach the World Cup semi-finals, according to data from FIFA’s Technical Study Group compiled in Doha.
Among the goalkeepers is Moroccan Yassine Bounou, who gave up only one goal in five matches. At the same time, the Argentine Emiliano Martinez and the Croatian Dominik Levakovic played a major role in getting both teams to the semifinals.
“It is a great relief for us that the goalkeepers are showing courage at this World Cup,” said former Colombia goalkeeper Fred Monragon, a member of the study group.
For example, the group indicated during a press conference on Monday that the rate of saving penalties for goalkeepers reached 36% during matches, a figure that does not include penalty kicks. This is up 17% compared to the 2018 World Cup.
Meanwhile, the rate of penalty saves during the quarter-finals when it comes to penalties was 34%, up from 25% compared to 2018.
Goalkeepers can decide this World Cup
goalkeepersThe group noted that they are also more involved in accumulating offensive plays and possession. They also played higher up the court and the ball with their feet more, a trend that began at the 2014 World Cup when Germany won the title playing a higher defensive line.
Mondragon noted, “The goalkeepers who brought their national teams to the semi-finals were crucial, not only in making saves during the match, being part of the reinforcements but also in the penalty shootout.”
Goalkeeping success is only part of the story. Former USMNT and Germany manager Juergen Klinsmann, who heads the group, said the order in which a player takes his kicks in a shootout is important.
Set the tone with your best penalty taker [first]“Maybe that was another reason for that,” Klinsmann said [Brazil lost]. “
Croatia defeated Brazil in a penalty shootout to advance to the semi-finals. In the penalty shootout, Neymar, the best player in Brazil, finished fifth in the standings and did not have a chance to shoot after the victory of Croatia.
The World Cup final will be played on Sunday at Lusail Stadium, just outside Doha. Which team wins it all depends on a variety of factors.
“It’s an adaptation tournament,” Klinsmann said of this World Cup. “If you can adapt from game to game, to all the conditions around you, you can go far.”
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