Kasper Schmeichel experienced a tough moment during Denmark’s recent UEFA Nations League match against Spain, where a deflected shot led to a 1-0 defeat.
Despite a strong individual performance, making key saves against Spanish striker Álvaro Morata and his attacking peers, the Celtic goalkeeper was ultimately beaten by an unlucky deflection late in the game.
The decisive moment came when Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi fired a shot that deflected off a Danish defender, leaving Schmeichel wrong-footed and unable to prevent the goal.
Speaking to Bold post-match, Schmeichel reflected on the difficulties goalkeepers face when dealing with deflections:
“It’s one of those situations as a keeper. I didn’t see the ball to begin with. It hit Pierre and then I actually had to bet a little bit.
“It went to my left, and I didn’t manage to read the screw on the ball. And then I got a little too far over it. That’s life as a goalkeeper. That something like this can happen.
“Every time a goal is scored, I will always look back and see that there is something I could do better. If you’ve been in there, you know what it’s like. It doesn’t always look good on TV.
“Now I haven’t seen it yet, but it’s one of those situations where I’ll have to gamble a bit because it took that alignment and because I didn’t manage to read the screw.”
The goalie has fronted up with the press and been honest, and for that, he can only be applauded.
He showed his quality against Spain on Saturday night, and has shown it since signing for Celtic in the summer.
He may be 37, 38 in less than a month, but he’s still performing at the top level.
In Celtic’s Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund, the Dane kept the home side from hitting double figures, despite conceding seven.
In the league, it’s been a different story. After seven games played, he finally conceded a goal, with Ross County scoring a penalty last weekend.
But it’s not just his clean sheets that have impressed, it’s also his distribution. He’s been so good with the ball at his feet and swiftly started up attacks, something that will reap rewards for Celtic.
