'Sucks that Pedri has been credited with an own goal all because Unai Simon forgot that he was a professional footballer,' he joked. The own goal has initially been attributed to Pedri after his pass back to Simon, despite replays showing the ball did take a nick off the goalkeeper's boot, and a social media user claimed it was harsh on the Barcelona star considering it was his keeper's mistake. This goalkeeper position for Spain is absolutely cursed ever since Casillas retired.' One fan wrote: 'De Gea, Kepa and now Unai Simon. it's David de Gea,' as he included a picture of the pair on the pitch. 'If anyone can offer Unai Simon some advice right now, speaking from experience. Spain have a history of shaky keepers, with Manchester United's David de Gea guilty of a handful of errors, while Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga has also been widely criticised for costly mistakes.Īnd supporters were quick to group Simon into their unfortunate catagory as some joked that the pair would have been amused by Simon's blunder, as a fan posted a picture of two men in fits of laughter.Īnother said De Gea had 'inspired a new generation of Spanish goalkeepers', while one joked the United star could be on hand to offer his advice to Simon. The mistake in the 20th minute of the game saw Spain concede a completely needless goal, leaving fans stunned at the embarrassing nature of the goal, while also taking the opportunity to mock the goalkeeper. The Athletic Bilbao shot-stopper wanted to ground to swallow him whole after he badly miscontrolled a backwards pass by midfielder Pedri from the half-way line, with the ball deflecting off his foot and bobbling into the back of the net in the first own goal by a keeper in the history of the competition. A lesson for life? Every game is a new game.Unai Simon's horrendous own goal against Croatia has been ruthlessly mocked on social media after he gifted the opener in Spain's last-16 Euro 2020 clash, with fans claiming the country's No.1 jersey was 'cursed'. We can enjoy this now, but tomorrow we prepare the semi-final. But you have to erase your good moments too because of what awaits. You have to erase your mistakes, forget about them. “This a euphoric moment, I got very excited, very emotional, all that fury, all that desire. We deserved this before extra time, we deserved it after extra time, but it wasn’t to be,” the goalkeeper said. At the end of this, he was keeping it but as he stood waiting to be presented with his man of the match award, he stood shouting: “This is for you.” It was for all of them, a place in the semi-finals, a strength, a togetherness, echoes of Italy in 2008. After the Croatia game he had thrown his shirt into the crowd. “This shows what stuff he’s made of,” Luis Enrique said. Here he did so too, getting the reward Sommer would have deserved too. Simón carried on against Croatia and saved them. Which was partly why if that was an accident this was not. Luis Enrique noted how Rafa Nadal extolled having “a goldfish’s memory” and insisted that Simón was the same. It was, he said, just an “accident”, an “error.” One that didn’t affect him then and wouldn’t again. Taking advice from the Jacksons, he refused to blame it on the sunshine. Simón’s approach was blunter, startlingly matter of fact, no room for excuses. What that had meant was almost metaphysical, according to another former Athletic and Spain No 1, Andoni Zubizarreta who wrote in El País of Albert Camus – the philosopher-goalkeeper who learned all he knew about morality and obligations from football.
Photograph: Gonzalo Arroyo - UEFA/UEFA/Getty Images Unai Simón of Spain saves the second penalty from Fabian Schär of Switzerland in the penalty shootout after the 1-1 draw in St Petersburg. If redemption had come with that decisive save and Spain’s comeback against Croatia, what was this? Something big, that’s for sure.
So did everyone else, streaming from the halfway line and the touchline, meeting in the corner.
Last time, he had been on the line unable to prevent Oyarzabal from scoring the only goal in the Copa del Rey final: opponents then in the first all-Basque final, now they were teammates, their parents sitting on the flight to Saint Petersburg together, and when the Real Sociedad forward scored he made straight for the Athletic keeper. Simón still had to stand and watch Mikel Oyarzabal place the ball on the spot for the second time this year. “Are you giving me that too?” Simón would grin afterwards. Then he watched Rubén Vargas hit over the bar, and break down in tears. Which may have been why Fabian Schär, who put his foot through the ball against France, struck with less power and less conviction this time.