Heroic in the LOSC cages this Tuesday, in Marseille, Vito Mannone perfectly replaced Lucas Chevalier, notably repelling two shots on goal during a victorious session (1-1, 3-4 tab).
Chosen by Bruno Genesio to defend the LOSC cages in the Coupe de France, Vito Mannone (36) perfectly returned the trust placed in him this Tuesday, on the lawn of the Orange Vélodrome. He was one of the great symbols of Lille's qualification, the one snatched at the end of the penalty shootout (1-1, 3-4 tab). Even before this deadline, the Italian distinguished himself by winning his one-on-one against Mason Greenwood in the first half (36′). Sometimes in difficulty with his restarts, he was imperious with the gloves, to the point of fending off a point-blank attempt at his post with his fingertips (90+2′). He couldn't do anything about the equalizer on the gong (90+6′).
Cooled by this cruel equalizer, Vito Mannone was transcended during the penalty shootout. Always moving on his line, shouting to encourage himself and destabilize the opposing shooter, he made two saves by diverting the attempts of Luis Henrique, scorer, then of Jonathan Rowe with a superb save with the opposite hand. The people of Lille could then exult:
“It’s incredibleconfided the northern goalkeeper, questioned from the final whistle by the LOSC communications unit. It's only the second match (16th final), but it's already full of emotions. With our supporters, it's incredible to end like this. We know very well that if we pass here, then we will go all the way. I hope ! »he exclaimed, eager to celebrate with his teammates.
A feeling of déjà vu
Usual number 2, Vito Mannone was making the rounds in the media following LOSC's qualification: “It’s football, sometimes it’s madnesshe confided, still moved, to Bein
Sports. It's an incredible match to win because we conceded the goal at the last second after we had defended well for 90 minutes. It hurt, but we had to react. This team, this group, the staff, the president and the supporters, all together, we never give up. That's the thing. We played with our hearts. We want to go all the wayand it involved a difficult match at the Vélodrome”continued the Italian.
Very experienced, having played for multiple teams such as Sunderland, Hull City, Reading and Arsenal, he had the impression of reliving an evening that he had already had the opportunity to experience during his career: “I have already experienced this kind of scenario, in England, with a goal conceded in the last moments and two saves in the penalty shootouthe laughed. It was against Manchester United at the time. It's nice to see history repeating itself. I work every day, sometimes with a little frustration, to experience these kinds of moments. I'm happy to be able to help the team. We were very strong mentally and they all took penalties very well”concluded Vito Mannone, hero of the evening on the lawn of the Orange Vélodrome.
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