Matvey Safonov, the 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper, emotionally revisited the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. Speaking to the club’s website, the Russian shot-stopper recounted the tension of the penalty shootout and his emotional release upon the final spot-kick.
Safonov: “It all came pouring out at once”
Let’s look back at the Champions League final and that penalty shootout. What goes through a goalkeeper’s mind at a moment like that?
“So much is going on. A penalty shootout is always a balance between emotions and the information you prepared before the match. We work a lot on these kinds of situations. In a Champions League final, it’s even harder because it’s impossible to know exactly where a player is going to shoot. We had prepared well for the shootout. I didn’t save a penalty, but I think I made the task more difficult for the opposing takers.”
In the end, you won the final. How did you feel?
“In the moment, I didn’t really grasp what we had just achieved. I think that over time, I’ll fully appreciate the significance of this victory. Before the match, I told myself I had to prepare for it like any other game so I wouldn’t let stress overwhelm me. I kept all those emotions bottled up inside. Then, at the final penalty, it all came pouring out at once. At that instant, I wasn’t in control of anything anymore. Afterwards, I started to understand a bit better what we had accomplished.”
This account reveals the sheer solitude of the goalkeeper during a moment that is, in fact, a deeply collective experience. Safonov didn’t save a single shot, but his role goes beyond mere statistics: preparation, reading the penalty takers, and psychological pressure all play a part in the battle of wills. Above all, his explosive reaction to the final penalty captures the intensity of a final that had been tightly coiled until that moment. Beneath the composure required by his position, the Paris player describes the precise instant when the professional gave way to the man.
Safonov: “I wanted to share this exceptional moment with her.”
Who did you want to share this moment with first?
“With the team, first of all. It was our trophy. We had won it together. Then, after that initial wave of emotion, I thought of my wife, who was at the stadium. I waited about fifteen minutes after the final whistle for her to join me on the pitch. I wanted to share this exceptional moment with her—a moment that meant so much in both our lives.”
Safonov’s choice adds a deeper dimension to the triumph. His first instinct was to focus on the group before the celebration became a family affair. Those fifteen minutes of waiting, amidst the euphoria, speak to the personal significance of such an achievement: a career, sacrifices, and loved ones finally reunited on the same pitch. The trophy belongs to Paris Saint-Germain, but every individual involved also takes a piece of it into their own personal story. We hope the Parisian players will launch us into another great story this season. The movie isn’t over yet.
