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On that rainy night at Anfield, the downpour seemed endless. Matvey Safonov could barely see three meters ahead. Yet there he was, facing that right-side corner kick in the chaotic climax of the second half, and the Russian goalkeeper looked completely at ease.
His team was in trouble, the forwards were ineffective, and the midfield had lost control. But he and his two defensive pillars—Marquinhos and Willian Pacho—resisted tenaciously time and time again. On that English night, there was a certain madness in the air, but Safonov suddenly looked so dominant.
In an instant, facing the red tide of attacks, the player in the green jersey occupied such a vast space.
The giant from Krasnodar, who had already shown extraordinary strength in the Champions League round of 16 match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, seemed fully deserving of his nickname. His brilliant saves would haunt Liverpool's forwards in their dreams for weeks, if not months to come. Just like Donnarumma's saves here a year ago.
Safonov is too intelligent not to have anticipated the expectations and doubts surrounding him for months. And this time, the player who had upended the established order in just a few weeks undoubtedly put an end to all the debates.
Yes, the 27-year-old Russian goalkeeper has a very unique style. His style is more reminiscent of the 1980s than the trends of 2020-2030. He may never possess the elegant playing style of Thibaut Courtois, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Iker Casillas, or Gianluigi Buffon. But he has something else: an extraordinary courage.
On Tuesday night, in that storm-like match, Safonov displayed true courage, fighting valiantly to save those corners and crosses. "Matcha" showed no fear, not even once. Not even in the chaotic opening stages of the second half. And when it came to testing his reflexes—the very reflexes that helped Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League last year—the 1.92-meter-tall goalkeeper did not flinch.
The way he saved Milos Kerkez' close-range shot (32nd minute) was breathtaking. Undoubtedly, this save will rank him alongside Donnarumma's brilliant stops against Marcus Rashford, Luis Díaz, or Youri Tielemans last year.
The expressions on Pacho and Marquinhos' faces spoke volumes about the team's trust in the Russian goalkeeper. It was clear that this team now fully believed their goalkeeper had the ability to lead them out of difficult situations. Safonov had won the hearts and minds of the team.
On the bench, Luis Enrique criticized some of his decisions with his feet. But Safonov did not back down. One of his bold attempts even nearly turned into a goal (a brilliant pass found Bradley Barcola).
However, the Russian goalkeeper had already proven his strength with two clean sheets in the history of this tournament. The Krasnodar native has three more matches to solidify his place in Paris Saint-Germain's legend. The world's top forwards will be waiting for him in the semi-finals.
But since Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain has known they have a goalkeeper capable of leading them to Budapest on May 30. And just four months ago, no one except Luis Enrique would have thought this possible. Because Safonov's success is also inseparable from the Paris Saint-Germain manager.
Abandoning a goalkeeper bought for €55 million—Lucas Chevalier—after just five months was by no means an easy decision. Making such a decision in the spring of 2026, however, seemed perfectly reasonable…
