No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeKeylor NavasKeylor Navas breaks Champions League record for best debut by a goalkeeper

Keylor Navas breaks Champions League record for best debut by a goalkeeper

The long list of accolades attached to Keylor Navas’ name could soon fill up a telephone book.

Navas’ record-breaking season at Real Madrid has now given him a new record: the most consecutive minutes without allowing a goal for a debut in the Champions League. The Costa Rican keeper has kept a clean sheet in each of his first six Champions League games, two of them against Paris St. Germain, which boasts one of the very best collection of strikers in Europe.

In Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over the Parisians on Tuesday, the 28-year-old Navas shined again for his club, recording his 10th shutout in 13 games so far.

After a goal from Nacho put Madrid up early, Navas made this diving save in the 39th minute to keep Paris St. Germain scoreless:

https://vine.co/v/eLBKul001vj

In a game where Paris St. Germain controlled possession for the majority, Navas received some divine luck on a few of St. Germain’s chances. At the end of the first half, striker Edinson Cavani broke away from the Madrid defense and had a one-on-one opportunity against Navas. On what looked like a play that should have been a routine goal, the Uruguayan forward flicked the ball delicately over Navas, instead of trying to fire a shot into goal, and the ball ended up lagging just right of the post.

In the second period, former Real Madrid star Ángel Di María almost got the tying goal against his old club when his free kick hit the top-left part of the crossbar on a shot Navas couldn’t even contest. Once Madrid’s noted defender Marcelo left the match with an injury in the first period, a rapid fire of shots followed from Paris’ star-studded front line of Di María, Cavani, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Tuesday marked the second game between the two clubs in as many weeks, making Navas’ record even more impressive, considering the competition. In the Champions League group stage match on Oct. 21, the two European powerhouses tied 0-0.

Earlier this season, Navas set a Real Madrid record when he tallied four straight shutouts to begin Spain’s La Liga play. He then broke the record for the most consecutive shutouts at Madrid’s home stadium of Santiago Bernabéu. Navas has now allowed just three goals in 1,170 minutes of play this season, boosting Real Madrid to the top of La Liga with its undefeated record of 7-3-0.

Navas and Real Madrid will put that undefeated record on the line against Sevilla on Sunday before they take on rival Barcelona in El Clasico on Nov. 21.

Trending Now

Mexican Influencer “El Arturito” Falls for Costa Rican Cuisine at Silvestre

Arturo Lemmen, a Mexican food critic known as “El Arturito” to his social media fans, used to think Costa Rican cuisine was nothing to...

Costa Rica’s Film Festival Kicks Off with a New Vision

San José is lighting up for the 13th Costa Rica International Film Festival (CRFIC), running June 19–29, 2025, with filmmaker Patricia Velásquez Guzmán taking...

Costa Rica’s Defense Frustrates Mexico in Hard-Fought Gold Cup Stalemate

La Sele faced off against Mexico in a tense, scoreless draw at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas during the final matchday of Group A...

Costa Rica Joins U.S. Global Entry, Easing Travel for Tourists

Costa Rica took a big step forward, by officially joining the U.S. Global Entry program, a move set to make travel smoother for Costa...

Costa Rica’s San Lucas Island Sees Kilos of Trash Removed in Cleanup

Twenty-five volunteers hauled 381 kilos of trash—mostly plastic bottles and tires—off Cocos Beach on Costa Rica’s San Lucas Island. The cleanup, set in the...

El Salvador Extradites Lev Tahor Members to Israel, Guatemala Over Child Abuse Charges

El Salvador has extradited two members of the Lev Tahor sect—an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group under investigation for alleged child sexual abuse—to Israel and Guatemala,...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica