Yuri Lodygin is the unsung galvanizing hero of Panathinaikos

Americans, who are adept at capturing reality succinctly, have a related expression: the unsung hero. The unsung hero, the literal performer, the unpraised, the invisible.

No matter the tournament, it’s a phrase that when heard alone, without concrete examples, seems more appropriate to attach to a goalkeeper. How much more so for the goalkeeper after the “four” for his team, like last night’s Panathinaikos match against OFI.

In such a situation, it would be the scorers, those who created the goals, and those who caused them with their actions, who would be most, if not exclusively, sung. Who – and how – will handle the goalkeeper? Ivan Jovanovic did so by deifying himself after the match.

If nothing else, a coach, any coach, doesn’t have to “sing” to recognize. It does so in advance, with just one decision, one move, and one word: you play.

Bad Lies In the first hour of the confrontation on the Avenue, there was little to distinguish between the Greens and the Cretans. Many are essential and crucial. The difference between the image of the pioneers of the Premier League Stokesman in relation to the last image, and not so – according to the admission of their parents – is an attractive image only in proportion.

At such a time, in such a situation, with such a specific background, he desperately did not want to do (one) damage that would make everything worse, that would change the course and outcome. During this time OFI almost annexed him to the “Greens”.

One at the start, before a hundred seconds of Deco’s free kick expired, and the second, before the hour mark, with a Luis Felipe header.

In the first, the goalkeeper saved 0-1, and in the second 1-1 (with the icing on the cake, every preacher’s dream of the obligatory ability of every goalkeeper in modern football to create play, see the pitch, and volley assist in 4-0).

Fear of class and the artist’s return

Between then and from then on, yes, the baton and the lights and the songs will move on to… The grader who sweeps away everyone and everything in his path, literally without even turning it on, and intimidates his opponents into even thinking of adding them, the unlucky one, in the setting of his most notable personal achievement, by Fotis Ioannidis, Who scored two goals, won a penalty kick and sent another.

To the rebounding artist, who plays a pivotal role in the consistency of the Panathinaikos midfield when he is on the pitch, and to the person who moves comfortably in space, anywhere, either in the middle – as in the pass he made for the winning penalty kick – or to open the encounter by running to The edge and the technical end of the stage, as in Aitor’s second goal.

To the daring… the starter, to the most productive and creative midfielder of the “Greens”, to the most effective 1v1 player, regardless of the circumstances and the correctness of the choice – depending on the occasion – to Palacios, scorer of one goal and creator of a second.

They all, justifiably and naturally, as responsible for the number “4” in the attack, will receive the caption, the meaningless awards for the most valuable, the limelight, the comments, the headlines in the media and the trends in the social media. Media. He, responsible for “0”, will be in everyone’s apogee. perfect.

And let this “0” not be the first. In the last nine and a half matches (half of the derby against Olympiacos), Panathinaikos has not conceded a goal in four matches. All with him, last night, he was very motivated with those two tackles to develop Sunday’s game, the goalkeeper at home.

Everything but coincidence. It is enough for reinforcement to remember his intervention in Britsa’s shot in the double opportunity with the pipe post that followed him at the same stage for Kifisia, while Panathinaikos was tied 0-0 in Kayseriani in the last match before the final vacation.

In any case, for a footballer who Zenit bought from Xanthi to make him a regular in their local team ten years ago, who was first included by Fabio Capello in the Russian national team and who participated in the final stage of the World Cup (2014) and Euro (2016), there is no need to ISO is for quality, not just efficiency.

It was further highlighted how difficult the competitive mode was for him. The bench is not fun for any footballer. But only the goalkeeper knows that if he is found, if he exists, he will not play under normal circumstances. How much more so, especially now at Panathinaikos, when in front of him (like last year) or next to him (like this year), there is someone higher in the hierarchy – and not unreasonably.

For this goalkeeper, the most important thing is not to sing. And this, even if it happens strangely, will be the result, the result. The main thing, the first thing, is trust. The one his coach told him last summer, when there were concrete circumstances that would allow him to leave to go somewhere to play. more.

And so he grabbed it. This confidence prompted him to renew his contract, after this year he confirmed, in practice, what he had initially heard in private, at that time in the summer: “You will play.” Not for free, but with appreciation.

And we hear, publicly now, after the “four” basically, once again that his coach admits that he wronged him and that neither last year in practice, nor that he competed particularly nor this year that he competes, for his coach, whoever he is. And in the goal of Panathinaikos, the same thing.

This, yes, for the goalkeeper immediately after this match, for the unsung hero, for the unsung hero, for Yuri Lodengin, is what he needs.