Real Madrid's Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin has received prestigious recognition from La Liga: the organization included his crucial save in the El Clasico match against Barcelona among the contenders for the best save of October. This was reported by Sport RBC.UA citing the press service of the Spanish football league. The nomination is a natural outcome of the 23-year-old goalkeeper's outstanding performance in one of the most spectacular matches of the current season.
The Episode That Decided the Derby
We are talking about a save that occurred in the 66th minute of the high-stakes encounter with the score tied at 1:1. Barcelona's defender Gerard Martin directed a close-range header from a corner kick, but Lunin demonstrated incredible reaction: the goalkeeper spectacularly folded down and deflected the ball, denying Barcelona a practically guaranteed goal. It was this save that proved to be the turning point in the game — Real Madrid ultimately won 2:1 thanks to a brace by Kylian Mbappe. Throughout the match, the Ukrainian goalkeeper made five saves, underlining the scale of his contribution to the final result.
First Start of the Season and the Captain's Armband
A special context to this match is added by the circumstance that Lunin made his first starting appearance for Los Blancos this current season. The reason was an illness of Thibaut Courtois, who missed the game due to the flu. Moreover, after Federico Valverde was substituted in the 62nd minute, it was the Ukrainian goalkeeper who finished the fierce derby with the captain's armband on his arm — a rare occurrence for a goalkeeper, emphasizing the coaching staff's trust and Lunin's status within the squad.
Press Ratings and Voting Mechanism
According to the authoritative Spanish publication Marca, Lunin's save is already contending for the status of the best save not only of October but of the entire current season in Spain. The winner will be determined by a combination of fan votes and ratings from a special jury, which gives the nomination additional resonance. Notably, Belgian Thibaut Courtois has not once been included in the list of nominees for this award this season, making Lunin's achievement even more prominent against the backdrop of the team's primary goalkeeper.
Lunin's Statistics Against Barcelona
El Clasico became Lunin's fifth game against Barcelona in his professional career. In four out of five such encounters, Madrid celebrated victory, which indicates the Ukrainian's high efficiency precisely in matches against the main rival. For a goalkeeper who is only cementing his place in Real Madrid's starting lineup this season, such statistics in key дерби serve as a serious argument in the fight for a starting spot over the long haul.
