Those 30 seconds in which Marco Carnesecchi summarised the basics of being a goalkeeper

Those thirty seconds between the 23rd minute and six seconds and the 23rd minute and thirty-six seconds of the Monza v Atalanta match on Sunday 8 November 2026 should be shown to anyone – child or teenager – who expresses a desire, clearly self-destructive, to become a goalkeeper. Those thirty seconds offer a perfect summary of what it means to be a goalkeeper and just how marvellous it can be to wear the number one shirt and get your gloves dirty. From the 23rd minute and six seconds to the 23rd minute and thirty-six seconds of the Monza v Atalanta match, Marco Carnesecchi produced four difficult saves in quick succession. Admittedly, perhaps none were as complex as the one pulled off by Chrístos Mandas in the 41st minute of Napoli v Lazio, but stringing four like that together in thirty seconds is pure ecstasy for any goalkeeper.

Marco Carnesecchi emerged as the match-winner, dealing a crushing blow to the title hopes of Ivan Jurić’s Monza side, who had been in excellent form up to that point and had certainly played better than Atalanta. And who, particularly during those thirty seconds when the Atalanta goalkeeper turned into a wall, deserved to have scored a goal. Marco Carnesecchi, however, after a less-than-brilliant start to the season, was keen to show that he was still among the best in his position in our league. First he parried Gustavo Varela’s powerful but central shot; then he produced an incredibly elegant dive to his left to deflect Jay Robinson’s dangerous low drive; next, he demonstrated how to protect his near post against Varela’s fierce strike; and finally, he stretched to his right to parry Eddy Kouadio’s shot from the wing. With the exception of that one mistake, Atalanta’s number 29 demonstrated everything an aspiring goalkeeper needs to become an excellent shot-stopper.

 

1. Marco Carnesecchi in the 23rd minute of Monza v Atalanta 0–1 – 5 points;

2. Chrīstos Mandas in the 41st minute of Napoli v Lazio 1–1 – 3 points

3. joint first: Lorenzo Palmisani in the 50th minute of Cagliari v Frosinone 1–0 – 1 point

3. Elia Caprile (joint top) in the 54th minute of Cagliari v Frosinone 1–0 – 1 point

1. David De Gea (Fiorentina), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone), 13 points
3. Filip Stanković (Venezia), 12 points
4. Mike Maignan (Milan), Chrīstos Mandas (Lazio), 11 points
6. Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus), 9 points
7. Vanja Milinković-Savić (Napoli), 6 points
8. Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Wladimiro Falcone (Lecce), 5 points
10. Justin Bijlow (Genoa), 4 points
11. Edoardo Corvi (Parma), Josep Martínez (Inter), Alex Meret (Napoli), Maduka Okoye (Udinese), Lucas Perri (Torino), 3 points
16. Elia Caprile (Cagliari), 2 points
17. Pierluigi Gollini (Roma), 1 point

 

What you have just read is Guanti sporchi, a light-hearted football-themed piece about Serie A’s number ones and the save that somehow made the football weekend even 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.