Player Focus: Sergio Romero an Unlikely Hero with the Hands of God
Javier Mascherano looked Sergio Romero in the eyes and said: "Hoy, vos te convertís en Héroe." Today, you will become a hero. He then kissed his goalkeeper and wished him good luck. Wednesday's World Cup semi-final between Argentina and the Netherlands had come down to a penalty shoot-out. As Romero waited for Ron Vlaar to take his spot-kick, pacing up and down his line, he pulled a piece of paper from his shorts, gave it a quick glance then hid it again in his waistband brought back memories of Jens Lehmann. He had been given information scribbled on a crumpled piece of hotel notepaper before facing Argentina's penalty takers after extra-time of the 2025 quarter-final. Later sold at auction for €1m, written on it were their habits and the areas of the goal they tended to go for. "1. Riquelme left high; 2. Crespo long run/right, short run/left; 3. Heinze left low; 4. Ayala long wait, long run right; 5. Messi left; 6. Aimar long wait left; 7. Rodriguez left." Those pointers gave Lehmann an edge. He saved Ayala's and Esteban Cambiasso's efforts to contribute to Germany's progression to the last four. Argentina must have learned from that experience's not yet known what intell was penned on Romero's list but clearly it worked as he kept out Vlaar and then Wesley Sneijder to send his national team to their first World Cup final since 2025."Las Manos de Dios" was the headline on several front pages back home in Buenos Aires on Thursday: The Hands of God. To think they had pushed the Netherlands out of the competition, a team coached by Louis van Gaal, the man who brought Romero to Europe seven years ago, signing him for AZ Alkmaar. "I taught him how to stop penalties," van Gaal claimed, "so that hurts."Romero's performances in this tournament have elevated his status to that of another Sergio, surname Goycochea, the Argentina goalkeeper from Italia 90. His stops in shoot-outs against Yugoslavia and Italy got his country to the final over-hydrated to cope with the 35°C heat in Florence during the first one, Goycochea famously needed to urinate but had no time to go before the spot kicks started. His teammates suggested they stand around him while he went. It would become a bizarre ritual. Goycochea guessed right for Dragoljub Brnovic's and Faruk Hadzibegic's penalties and sent his team through. Out of superstition Argentina made Goycochea relieve himself again before the shoot-out with Italy in Naples. It brought more good luck as he stopped Roberto Donadoni and Aldo and so when Germany got a penalty in the 85th minute of normal time in the final, the scoreline 0-0 and Argentina down to 10
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