'Fantastic': Shakhtar manager praises £30m Arsenal player after what he did in Champions League last night
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It was certainly a tale of two goalkeepers as Arsenal and Shakhtar Donetsk went head-to-head in the third matchday of the new Champions League season.
The only goal of the game, despite the best efforts of Gabriel Martinelli, would go down as a black mark against Dmytro Riznyk’s name.
As Martinelli cut inside and fizzed a shot at goal with his trusty right boot, the ball rebounded off the base off the post, onto Riznyk and into the back of the Shakhtar Donetsk net.
A moment of cruel misfortune for a man who, by and large, was the Ukrainian giants’ finest performer on the night. Riznyk denied Arsenal a second when he kept out Leandro Trossard’s penalty in the second-half amid a flurry of impressive stops.
But as Shakhtar pushed for an equaliser late on, it was Rizynk’s opposite number who found himself upgraded from a background actor into a leading man role.
David Raya is one of only two goalkeepers with three clean sheets to his name in the Champions League so far. Former Gunner Emiliano Martinez – unbeatable again as Unai Emery’s Aston Villa beat Bologna 2-0 – is the other.
Shakhtar Donetsk boss hails Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya
“We knew it would be tough. The way they play, the power, we're not used to these games in our league,” Shakhtar coach Marino Pusic told reporters at full-time.
“They were better than us in the first half but, at 1-0, you have a chance. When I see how we played in the second half, we made some small changes. I think we dominated at times in the second half.
“I think we deserved a goal. [There was a] serious chance for us at the end, and the goalkeeper made a few good saves. We had nothing to lose so we tried, we showed up and showed ourselves.”
Arsenal’s number one came in for some criticism after Bournemouth stunned Mikel Arteta’s Premier League challengers on Saturday, giving away a spot-kick after Jakub Kiwior’s poor backpass left him exposed.
This, however, was a pretty almighty response. With ex-Brentford ace Raya proving to be outstanding value for money at £30 million, he denied Pedrinho a stunning late equaliser as he sprang to his left and deflected a thunderous shot over the bar.
“It was a fantastic save,” adds Pusic, a former Feyenoord coach who assisted now-Liverpool boss Arne Slot in the Netherlands. “I can be honest, I thought it was a goal because the shot was also very good.
“But it’s a quality goalkeeper, of course.”
Gabriel Martinelli pays Raya tribute ahead of Liverpool clash
“We made some changes and the message was ‘it's only 1-0’. You still have a chance against everybody at 1-0. I told them to believe. All good endings start with good believing – that was my message; Stay close to our identity, how we play how we want to progress and create.
“I'm very proud of my players. Our schedule is tough to travel. When I see the attitude and the positivity I'm proud.”
Arsenal will need David Raya to be at his best again this weekend.
The Gunners host title-rivals Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium and may find himself arriving at home soil as underdogs with William Saliba joining Martin Odegaard and co on the sidelines.
Gabriel Martinelli paid tribute to Arsenal team-mate Raya himself after that Shakhtar clash, telling reporters that the London giants are ‘lucky’ to have a goalkeeper who tends to produce his best when his team need him the most.
