Wojciech Szczesny knows a thing or two about saving spot shots. Last season, he made two fantastic saves in both league games against Roma. He also denied Antonio Candreva in the match against Sampdoria.
On Saturday, the 32-year-old showed his prowess on the international stage, playing a vital role in Poland’s 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia on matchday two of the World Cup group stage.
The custodian was in excellent form, making a series of terrific interceptions, including saving Salem Al-Dawsari’s penalty plus the follow-up, securing his second straight clean sheet since the start of the tournament.
After the match, Szczesny explained the technique behind the crucial penalty save. He admitted to studying his opponent before the match, which is why he opted for a fake before choosing a side.
“We had studied how he [Al-Dawsari] shoot the penalties”, said the Juventus goalkeeper as quoted by ilBianconero.
“I knew he was waiting to see what he would do before shooting. So I faked left and then went right and this is exactly where the shot from him went.
“Al-Burayk’s tracking was more difficult, even though the goal would have been disallowed because he entered the area too early.”
Poland now leads Group C with four points and will play Argentina on the third and final matchday.
