Gillingham’s former goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga has made headlines again – this time for the right reasons.
A last-minute own-goal proved costly for the Argentine stopper and his Girona team in their Champions League opener against PSG last month but this weekend he was the hero.
On Sunday, Gazzaniga made a hat-trick of penalty saves for the Spanish side against Athletic Bilbao.
Facing three different players, he denied them all, the 32-year-old keeping out Alex Berenguer’s effort in the first half and both Inaki Williams and Ander Herrera in the second.
Former Manchester United midfielder Herrera had stepped up for the retaken kick after Gazzaniga had been adjudged to have left his line when saving Williams’ kick.
His team went on to win the match 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time penalty of their own.
Gazzaniga had also saved a penalty in the week, during their Champions League loss against Feyenoord.
The goalkeeper started his career in England with Gillingham before a big-money move to Southampton in 2012 and then later a move to Tottenham.
Those saves came a day before the 10-year anniversary of Stuart Nelson’s penalty heroics for the Gills.
Nelson had saved two penalty kicks in a shootout against Colchester United in the EFL Trophy on October 7, 2014, before stepping up and scoring the winning spot-kick himself.
Unfortunately, while speaking to the press afterwards the team bus left him behind at the ground and he had to get a lift from the KentOnline reporter!
