“I can’t find the right adjective.”

At 40 years old, Manuel Neuer He claimed why he is one – for some the best – of the best goalkeepers of this century. Only its display in the Santiago Bernabéu before him Real Madrid could overshadow the performance of a David Raya that once again shined in the Alvalade to sustain the Arsenal in the most delicate moment of the match against Sporting CP and allowing the Gunners to take advantage in the tie thanks to a goal from Havertz in the discount.

“It’s going to be a very complicated match because we expect a great battle between two teams that are going to fight for every ball,” a player emphasized in the preview. David Raya who also had in mind “Sporting’s great record” in the Alvalade. Now, he did a lot to put an end to the ‘lions’ plenary session in Lisboa during this edition of the Champions.

In the first moments of the match, he brushed his fingertips against a hard shot from Maxi Araújo upon returning from the area he caught himself crashing against the crossbar. An intervention of great merit… as well as the one made in the final stretch of the match when the Sporting CP He went for victory. It’s special, to stop a ‘header’ at the near post by Geny Catamo.

The desperation in the Lisbon team was evident. “It was great. It was a game in which, at least, we should have tied. David Raya “He is a great goalkeeper and he was great tonight,” he said. Ivan Fresneda. “I think the best player on the field was Raya. We had very good chances to score, but it was magnificent,” he explained. Rui Borges.

“I’m here for this and I made the stops I had to make,” a man acknowledged after the crash. David Raya whose five saves (1.63 goals avoided) earned him to be designated by the UEFA as MVP of the meeting before the Sporting. “It was a very tough game, as we expected. They are a great team at home and they made it very difficult for us. But we showed character and achieved the result we wanted.”

I’m here for this and I made the stops I had to make

David Raya, Arsenal goalkeeper

Arteta, of course, did not hold back any praise. “He is extraordinary, magnificent and incredible. I can’t find the right adjective. And that is enough. We are delighted to have him. There were two moments in which he had to intervene brilliantly. That is the Champions League. He made the stops he had to make.” Haberte even went one step further. “He’s the best goalkeeper in the world.”

Of course, David Raya is opting for this recognition: he has stopped 27 of the 30 shots on goal that he has received in this edition of the Champions and has only conceded three goals in 10 games. He is, in fact, the goalkeeper – in at least two games played – with the best save percentage (90%) in the tournament.

He also has seven clean sheets and has avoided a total of 3.57 goals to make this Arsenal the best defense of the Champions League. It doesn’t stop there, since his feline reflexes allow him to boast of being the goalkeeper who has avoided the most goals in the last two editions: they have scored 12… and it should have been 21. To all this we must add a brilliant distribution to build from behind, reading in actions to go far from his goal (8) and high exits (11). An aspect for which it was highly criticized in its beginnings in England due to a simple height issue (1.83 m).

“We were coming from a disappointing moment. But we used that pain as fuel and showed that this team is ready for anything,” noted a David Raya who was not a starter in the final of the Carabao lost to Manchester City and in the recent elimination against Southampton in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.

Now, with Raya—she’s going for her third Golden Glove consecutive in Premier—back to the goal, the Arsenal He has been able to scare away ghosts. Or, at least, not make them bigger. And, while the debate focuses on whether it should be Unai García o Joan Garcia the one who defends Spain in it Worldthe former Brentford, emerged in the Cornellá and hardened in Blackburnhas once again shown that he is on par with the best goalkeeper in the league. Champions.