WATCH: Benevento’s Goalkeeper Scored 95th-Minute Equaliser vs AC Milan
REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
Ah, the beauty of football. Just when you start to think it’s all over, that there’s no way back, something that would have seemed impossible just a few minutes ago suddenly becomes a reality.
‘It’s never over until it’s over’ is a very common saying in the football world, and there is a reason behind that.
As a football fan, we have become used to goals in the dying seconds, late comebacks and unbelievable, pulsating games that leave you on the edge of your seat till the very last second.
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Still, nothing gets the adrenaline rushing more than moments like those, and that is exactly what makes our game so special.
Just a year ago, Benevento were plying their trade in Serie B – Italy’s second tier. Having attained promotion, things looked to be on the up for the Italian side.
However, they were given a stern reminder of the gulf in class between the first and second divisions in their opening 14 games of the season, losing all of them with a goal difference of -28.
Things looked set to get worse when they went 1-0 down in the first half against AC Milan yesterday through a Giacomo Bonaventura goal, but George Puscas restored some hope with an equalizer. Nikola Kalinic looked to have won the game when his second-half header kept the scoreline at 2-1 till the 94th minute.
No one anticipated what would happen next though. The Rossoneri looked set to grab all three points in Gennaro Gattuso’s first game in charge, but the hosts won a free-kick in the dying seconds of the match and that’s when the most unlikeliest of heroes emerged.
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Alberto Brignoli, the hosts’ goalkeeper, was told to run the length of the pitch and get into the box for the free-kick. With effectively the last touch of the ball, the keeper launched a diving header that left Gianluigi Donnarumma rooted to the spot and pandemonium ensued.
The man who scored the goal that earned Benevento their first ever point in the Serie A was none other than their goalkeeper.
“It’s such a strong feeling, indescribable,” Brignoli told Sky Sport Italia. “I dedicate the goal to all the fans who are living a dream that they hoped would have gone better.
“They [the coaches] told me to go up, that there was nothing to lose. I went to jump, closed my eyes and dived more like a goalkeeper than a striker.
“We’ve lost so many games unfairly at the end, even against Juventus. For once, after three months of sacrifice by everyone, it’s nice to be able to celebrate. This draw is for everyone and it would be selfish to talk only about me.”
Manchester United fan, Wayne Rooney is his role model. Passionate writer who has written for several sites in the past. He’s also an aspiring pianist and creates background music for BlameFootball’s Youtube channel.