Zid from Kharkiv - from the third goalkeeper at the start of the season to the hero of Real Madrid

Andrij Lunjin put on the mask of Tib Kurtoe, and Real found a goalkeeper they probably didn't hope for.

With those words, the Madrid "Ace" described the first match in the knockout phase of the Champions League of goalkeepers whose story began ten years ago in the younger categories of Metalists from Kharkiv.

After leaving his native Kharkiv Oblast, the Ukrainian goalkeeper defended the colors of Dnipro and Zorya from Luhansk in his homeland, and in 2018 he received the call that children all over the world dream of - from Real Madrid.

However, for a 19-year-old, the "unit" of the royal club was very far away at the time, so loans to Leganes, Valladolid and Oviedo followed, and this season he became the third option in Real's goal - behind the undisputed Courtois and (when the Belgian got injured) reinforcements from Chelsea Kepa Arrizabalaga.

"His work habits and professionalism had to be rewarded," adds "As".

And, the awards started coming during the season - Lunjin got more and more chances with Carlo Ancelotti, so that last night on the biggest stage, in the round of 16 of the Champions League, the whole world realized how good a goalkeeper he is.

Reflexes, placement, calmness when throwing in and coolness when he was left alone with Leipzig's attackers made the world talk only about the Ukrainian goalkeeper after Real's victory in East Germany (1:0).

In the end, the match ended with nine saves, he saved the net for the "Kings" before the rematch in Madrid, and as "Marko" states, he "locked" himself a place between the posts before Kepa, while Courtois now knows that he will have to fight for " his unit" when he recovers from his injury.

"Lunjin was great, he was excellent - this is his best performance since I met him," he told Ancelota after the match in Leipzig.

The kind of performance is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that in the last eight seasons of Real Madrid in the Champions League, only two goalkeepers recorded nine saves in one match - Courtois two years ago in the final against Liverpool and now Lunjin.

The Golden Glove at the World Cup, Ukraine's hope for Euro 2024

Lunjin showed that he is a top goalkeeper in the younger categories, especially at the World Championship for players under 20 years of age, which was won by his Ukraine in 2019.

He led his country to the gold, and received the "Golden Glove" award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

Now he is already one of the biggest assets of the senior team of Ukraine, and he will try to crown an unforgettable season in a little more than a month when he and the "yellow and blue" will try to reach the European Championship in Germany through the barrage.