Spain goalkeeper Simon “tortured” due to mistake in Croatia game (video)

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon said he went through a stage of torture trying to figure out the fatal mistake he made against Croatia, but expressed gratitude to his teammates, including goalkeeper David de Gea, for to have boosted his morale.

Simon, who snatched Spain’s starting position from De Gea last year, let the ball slip under his foot after teammate Pedri’s back pass from almost midfield to give Croatia a lead 1-0 in an epic round of 16 game that ended in a 5-game win for Spain. 3 after extra time in the 16th European Cup 2020 round.

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Simon said at a press conference: “It tormented me a bit and honestly I watched the clip six or seven times and I can’t explain what happened. It just hurts. control.”

He added: “People ask if the sun’s rays are in my eyes, but that didn’t happen, and I had a great distance to control the ball, and I wanted to play it, but my feet went. arrested. “

He continued, “I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to control the ball in my life, but the ball has never passed like this before. It was an accident, but sometimes it’s easy to recover. “

Simon recovered after saving two crucial chances later in the game and Spain recovered from shock Croatia by scoring two late goals to move the showdown to overtime and Spain qualified for the quarter-finals against Switzerland.

Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea is aware of the critical pressure due to his level with Spain, so he went to Simon at half-time to support him.

Simon explained, “He tried to calm me down and helped me a lot with his support and encouragement, and when a goalie like him comes to me and tells me that I can only improve and keep going.

“I’m proud to be a part of the squad and the way the players have supported me on the pitch and in the locker room matters a lot to what kind of squad it is.”

The Spanish team will face in the quarter-finals of the continental championship on the grounds of the World Cup stadium in Petersburg on July 2, its Swiss counterpart, who qualified at the expense of the French team on penalties 5-4.

Source: “Reuters”

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