No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta Rican Goalkeeper Keylor Navas saves another penalty kick

Costa Rican Goalkeeper Keylor Navas saves another penalty kick

As his incredible 2015-2016 season winds down, Keylor Navas proved again Sunday that he’s not out of tricks just yet. The goalie who has been dubbed “The European Wall” by Spanish soccer magazine Marca, added to his impressive list of accolades with Real Madrid’s 4-0 win over league rival Sevilla.

When defender Raphaël Varane was called for pulling down an opposing player in the box, Sevilla was awarded a penalty kick in the 26th minute. The Spanish power had an easy chance to tie Real Madrid at 1-1 in the early going. That is, until Navas got in the way.

The Costa Rican keeper now has three penalty kick saves on the season, giving him more than any other goalie in Europe’s major five leagues, according to sports statistic web site OptaJose.

According to Spanish soccer statistician Alexis Martín-Tamayo, known as Mister Chip, the Costa Rican goalie has now saved eight of the 15 penalty kicks against him in his La Liga career, dating back to his time with Levante. That’s an absurd ratio of under 50 percent goals allowed, whereas penalty kicks are historically scored above a rate of 70 percent on soccer’s major levels.

Navas plans to arrive at Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría Airport Monday afternoon to rejoin the national selection as they get set for their back-to-back games against Jamaica, beginning with Friday’s match in Kingston. Head coach Óscar Ramírez said at a news conference last week announcing the lineup that Navas will play in both games against the Jamaicans despite concerns Real Madrid would order him to sit out in preparation for El Clásico against Barcelona on April 2.

Navas and Real Madrid will then return to Champions League play in the first of their two quarterfinal matches against Wolfsburg. If Navas can go 133 minutes, or one and a half games, without conceeding a goal to the German club, he will own the longest goalless streak in Champions League history. After eight career games in the tournament of Europe’s best club teams, Navas has yet to give up a single goal.

Trending Now

UN Ocean Conference Opens with Push for Deep-Sea Mining Moratorium

The UN Ocean Conference began Monday in France with a call from Secretary-General António Guterres to prevent the ocean floor from becoming the “Wild...

Costa Rica’s UN Ocean Conference Role Slammed as Hypocritical

Costa Rica’s high-profile role in the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, has triggered fierce criticism from lawmakers and environmentalists, who...

Costa Rica’s New Extradition Law Faces Limits in Tackling Organized Crime

Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly passed a constitutional amendment in May, allowing the extradition of nationals for international drug trafficking and terrorism. With 44 of...

Costa Rica Video Footage Reveals Strange Deer-Bird Interaction

The best part about camera trapping is the moment you pull the SD card out of the camera and stick it in the laptop...

Former Nicaraguan President Violeta Chamorro Dies in San José at 95

Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, Nicaragua’s first female president and a key figure in ending her country’s civil war, passed away peacefully this morning in...

Banana Workers’ Strike Ends in Panama After Pension Agreement

Workers at U.S.-based banana company Chiquita Brands in Panama ended their protests and road blockades on Wednesday after reaching an agreement over pension reforms....
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