Matvey Safonov: 'We know it'll be a very tough game'
Men's football•
The Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper looks back on the successes of last season and ahead to Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup contest with Aston Villa.
Matvey, how are you feeling as the new season is about to start?
"I feel really good. We still have a little time to prepare and we'll be ready for Wednesday."
Let's take you back to the penalty shoot-out in the Champions League final. How does a goalkeeper feel in those moments?
"There's a lot of things going on. A penalty shoot-out is always a balance between your emotions and the information you prepare before the game. We work a lot on that type of situation. In the Champions League final, it's all the more difficult, because it's impossible to know which player is going to take one. We had prepared the moment well. I didn't save a penalty, but I think that I made things more difficult for the opponents."
How did it feel to come out on top?
"At the time, I didn't really realise what we had done. I think with time, I've been able to judge what this win means. Before the game, I said to myself that I had to prepare for the match as if it were like any other so as to not be submerged by stress. I kept my emotions in check. Then for the last penalty, everything came out at once. At that time, I no longer controlled anything. Afterwards, I started to understand a little better what we had achieved."
Who did you want to share the moment with first?
"Firstly, with the team. It was our trophy. We had won it together. Then, after that first wave of emotion, I thought of my wife, who was in the stadium. I waited 15 minutes after the full-time whistle for her to join me on the pitch. I wanted to share this special moment in my life and hers with her."
Luis Enrique has won back-to-back European titles. What makes him special as a coach?
"I would say that he is very open. He's always ready to try new things and adapt. He thinks a lot about things in football and is always looking for ways to develop our style of play. Last season, we tried a lot of new things that perhaps hadn't been seen before. That's one of the main qualities of our coach."
What can you tell us about Aston Villa?
"When a trophy is played for in a one-off game, it's always difficult. There are no easy wins. We know Aston Villa. They're a very solid team that won the Europa League last season and finished fourth in the English Premier League. We know it'll be a very tough game."
And what are you goals for the coming season?
"Last season, I understood something. We won every trophy possible except the Coupe de France. When I realised that we wouldn't win it, it was a strange feeling. I said to myself, 'There's something not right.' It's at that moment that I realised I wanted to win everything. Compete for every trophy. Now, I think that is part of the Paris Saint-Germain mentality: go onto the pitch to win every match and try to win everything."
