Player Focus: Handanovic's Penalty Saving Heroics Continue

“Son of a…!” cursed Antonio Cassano as the players went back to the dressing room at half-time. He couldn’t believe it. Moments before the interval, the Parma No.99 had been stood at the penalty spot facing his former teammate, the Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic. It was 0-0 in a game considered critical in the context of Europa League qualification.

Cassano had so very nearly opened the scoring earlier with a header from a corner only for Handanovic to produce a prodigious save. He now had a second chance to put Parma ahead. Where would he go? Right, left or down the middle? High or low? Milliseconds before Cassano shaped to shoot, Handanovic began to subtly move to his right. He’d either read something in his opponent’s body language or, from research, already knew his side of preference.

The ball was pushed onto the post. Esteban Cambiasso leaped into his arms to show his gratitude. Handanovic had saved one from Maxi Lopez the week beforehand when Inter were 1-0 up at Samp. That was a pivotal moment. And so was this. At the start of the second half Parma were reduced to 10 men when Gabi Paletta received a second yellow card. Rolando then headed Inter in front but as has often been the case this season they didn’t look entirely comfortable managing their lead.

Even with only 10 men, their hosts were still dangerous, striking the bar through Alessandro Lucarelli. Had it not been for Handanovic and Fredy Guarin scoring at the death just 89 seconds after coming on then Inter might not have claimed only their fourth win at the Tardini in their last 23 visits. “The result is a lie,” Parma coach Roberto Donadoni, who also forgave Cassano, insisted. “Perhaps Handanovic was at an advantage because he knows him well.”

It’s true, they did train alongside each last season. Handanovic will have watched him practice penalties at Appiano Gentile and take them in competitive matches. But even before they were teammates, he’d made Cassano distraught. This wasn’t the first time Handanovic had saved one of his spot-kicks. Five years ago, they stared each down from 12 yards as Samp played Udinese. Cassano went a different side to one he picked last Saturday yet Handanovic still forced his effort wide. “Son of a…!”

There’s no shame in it of course. Edi Cavani twice despaired in front of Handanovic. His list of ‘victims’ includes Kaka, Samuel Eto’o, Hernan Crespo and Marek Hamsik. It stretches long too. Last weekend’s was the 27th penalty stop of his career. That must offer the former Arezzo striker Daniele Martinetti some comfort. He was the first to be denied by a 22-year-old Slovene on loan to Rimini in Serie B.

Of Handanovic’s total, 17 have come in Serie A. Six of those came from the eight he faced in the 2010-11 season, a remarkable record. Only Gianluca Pagliuca, the former Inter, Sampdoria and Bologna keeper has saved more [24]. And it’s reasonable to expect Handanovic to surpass it if you think how long players’ careers are in this position and consider that he is still only 29.

“You’ve either got it or you don’t,” Pagliuca told Tuttosport. “You can improve in training, but it’s a natural gift. Sure, you need to put work into it like studying your opponents. I watched DVDs. I documented how specialist penalty-takers kicked the ball and I believe Handanovic does too. You also need explosiveness and strength in your legs, perhaps some height to cover the goal like Handanovic does. But you also have to understand the psychology of the penalty taker.”

More impressive than the number of saves Handanovic has made from undici metri is the ratio of them to penalties faced. Pagliuca’s for instance was 26.4% after parrying away 24 of 91. Luca Marchegiani’s stands at 26.6% after repelling 17 of 64. Handanovic has turned away just as many attempts as the former Lazio keeper but from fewer penalties [52] and therefore possesses a higher ratio of 32.7%.  Only the ex-Napoli shot stopper Pino Taglialatela who saw off 12 of 27 [44.4%] and Bepi Moro, the idol of Dino Zoff and deflector of 16 from 44 [36.4%], can boast better in Serie A history.

Mention any of this to Handanovic, though, and you’ll get short shrift. Asked to explain how he’d got so good at saving penalties during a flash interview on Saturday, he replied: “I don’t want to talk about this, thank you.” Why not? Does he have a secret he cares not to reveal? Not exactly. The explanation for his reticence lies in a long expressed desire not to be thought of as a specialist.

“Saving penalties is not a yardstick to judge whether a goalkeeper is good or not,” Handanovic told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “If one keeper makes a lot of saves from 11 metres, he is no more worthy of praise than another who doesn’t neutralise them. It’s clear: the stats are important but they are not the only measurement by which to judge a goalkeeper.”

That’s true. But being a formidable penalty saver does not detract from Handanovic. It only adds to his reputation as one of Europe’s best No.1s. He performs many miracles. That after all is why they call him San-danovic, San meaning ‘Saint’, for his saves, be they from the spot or elsewhere on the pitch, often seem like divine intervention.

Where does Handanovic rank among Europe's elite goalkeepers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments