Ex-Tottenham goalkeeper saves three penalties from three different players in wild LaLiga game
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Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga was Girona’s penalty-saving hero on three occasions in one match.
The 32-year-old completed a move to LaLiga last summer following a spell at Fulham, initially joining the club on loan.
Gazzaniga made his ninth league start of the season for Girona on Sunday when they hosted Athletic Bilbao at Estadi Montilivi.
Although he was unable to keep a clean sheet in a 2-1 win, the ex-Spurs man showcased his quality when facing three Bilbao penalties.
The first came in the opening 45 minutes against Alex Berenguer, with Gazzaniga saving down low to his left.
Inaki Williams was next to miss for Bilbao although the penalty had to be retaken as the Girona goalkeeper went off his line too early.
However, the visitors were denied form 12 yards once again as Ander Herrera also saw his effort saved by Gazzaniga.
It was an excellent performance in goal from the Argentine as he helped seal a crucial win for Girona with Cristhian Stuani scoring a stoppage-time penalty to seal all three points.
Gazzaniga started his career in Valencia’s academy before making the move to England in 2011 to sign with League Two side Gillingham.
After just one season, he completed a switch to Southampton after their promotion to the Premier League.
He made just 23 appearances across all competitions though for the Saints though and departed in 2017 for Spurs.
Gazzaniga had a lot more game time in north London, especially in the 2019/20 season as he made 18 Premier League appearances whilst Hugo Lloris was out injured.
But the goalkeeper eventually moved across the capital in 2021 to Fulham and helped them seal an instant return to the Premier League.
He featured just 15 times during his spell at Craven Cottage and first joined Girona on loan in 2022, with his move becoming permanent a year later.
Gazzaniga’s appearance on Sunday was his 76th for the club across three seasons and could well be his best yet.
