Lukas Skorupski, Poland goalkeeper who defeated the Blues on Tuesday (1-1), spoke with Kylian Mbappé after the match. A moment appreciated by the Bologna player.
At 33, Lukas Skorupski played his first match in a major competition, Tuesday during France-Poland (1-1) at Euro 2024. And he left with the man of the match trophy. Wojciech Szczesny’s usual understudy, the Polish goalkeeper (11 caps) disgusted the French team’s attackers by making eight saves, including three against Kylian Mbappé (42nd, 45th, 49th). He only lost to a penalty from the French captain (56th), who praised his performance at the end of the match.
“Nice behavior from one of the best footballers in the world”
“Kylian Mbappé came towards me after the whistle,” said the Bologna goalkeeper after the match. “We congratulated ourselves. It’s nice behavior from one of the best footballers in the world, if not the best. But it shows that anything is possible in football. Everyone has arms and legs, maybe they are better on paper, but I never watch them, I just try to do my thing And it’s great that they chose me as the best player of the match. the end.”
“It’s my job,” he added. That’s why I work silently and do my own thing so that I can be ready and help the team in such a moment. It worked well. A shiver ran down my spine because it was my debut in a big tournament. This is my third championship (after Euro 2021 and the 2022 World Cup, Editor’s note) but I was always the second goalkeeper, behind Wojciech. I worked hard to be ready and I think I repaid the coach’s trust.”
When taking stock of his saves, Skorupski admits he struggles to choose. “I don’t remember which operation was the most difficult,” he confides. “I have to watch the whole match again and then I’ll choose one. But I’m thinking of one of Kylian Mbappé’s shots. He’s really a very fast player, he hits without warning, suddenly he puts his legs there where you don’t expect it. There was a situation at the end of the first half where I was sure the ball was going to go out, but he still managed to shoot.”
