Sport
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Those two seconds by Vladimiro Falcone
Lecce’s defence leaves a lot to be desired, but their goalkeeper (apart from the odd mistake) is keeping Di Francesco’s side afloat. Against Monza, two saves in quick succession allowed the Salento side to celebrate the three points
Vladimiro Falcone (photo: LaPresse)
When the players in front of him lack concentration or fail to keep threats at bay, he must confront the issues head-on and get his gloves dirty. Lecce’s defence in these opening Serie A matches has proved far from perfect and has often been plagued by disorientation and lapses in concentration. That is why Lecce’s goalkeeper, Vladimiro Falcone, tops the league tables for saves and goals prevented. The figures speak for themselves: 6.5 saves and 3.1 goals prevented per match. He is well clear of the rest. Without him, Lecce would probably be bottom of the table on zero points, alongside Venezia.
In "Guanti sporchi", however, the focus is on the superfluous rather than the essential, on aesthetics rather than substance. A touch of frivolity is needed in a sport that has long taken itself a little too seriously. And without even a hint of self-deprecating humour.
However, when a goalkeeper produces an exceptionally high number of saves of such quality, sooner or later he will feature in "Guanti sporchi". Vladimiro Falcone recently did precisely that, producing a spectacular stop against Jay Robinson, who had struck a well-placed, angled shot from a metre out from the Lecce goalkeeper. Falcone stretched and parried the ball away. He then rose at lightning speed, stretched and saved Gustavo Varela’s shot as well. Two excellent saves in the space of two seconds.
The three best saves from the third matchday of Serie A
1. Vladimiro Falcone in the 16th minute of Lecce v Monza – 5 points
2. Lorenzo Palmisani equalised in the 21st minute of Genoa v Frosinone (1–1) – 3 points
2. Mike Maignan (joint top) in the 20th minute of Lazio v Milan 2–2 – 3 points
3. Guglielmo Vicario in the 46th minute of Sassuolo v Juventus 3–2 – 1 point
The ranking
1. Chrīstos Mandas (Lazio), 7 points
2. Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus), 6 points
3. Guglielmo Falcone (Lecce), Filip Stanković (Venezia), 5 points
5. Edoardo Corvi (Parma), Mike Maignan (Milan), Josep Martínez (Inter), Alex Meret (Napoli), Maduka Okoye (Udinese), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone), 3 points
6. Elia Caprile (Cagliari), 1 point
2. Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus), 6 points
3. Guglielmo Falcone (Lecce), Filip Stanković (Venezia), 5 points
5. Edoardo Corvi (Parma), Mike Maignan (Milan), Josep Martínez (Inter), Alex Meret (Napoli), Maduka Okoye (Udinese), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone), 3 points
6. Elia Caprile (Cagliari), 1 point
What you have just read is "Guanti sporchi", a light-hearted football-themed piece focusing on Serie A’s number ones and the save that somehow made the football weekend all the better – at least from the perspective of that minority who dress differently from the rest on the pitch. You can find all previous instalments here.