Ex-Man Utd goalkeeper shows fans what they’re missing with two stunning penalty saves – as former team-mate sent off
MANCHESTER UNITED’S goalkeeper troubles with Andre Onana have been quite evident in the last few games.
So the recent starring performance of former United fan favourite shot-stopper Sergio Romero saw supporters take notice.
APFormer Man Utd goalie Sergio Romero was the hero for Boca Juniors[/caption]
GettyRomero saved two penalties in the Copa Libertadores semi-final shootout[/caption]
APRomero spared the blushes of Edinson Cavani, who scored in the game but missed from the spot[/caption]
Romero, who played understudy to David de Gea throughout his six years at Old Trafford, now plays his football back home in Argentina for Boca Juniors.
And the 36-year-old endeared himself to fans with a stunning performance in their Copa Libertadores semi-final win over Palmeiras.
The goalie was joined on the winning side by fellow ex-United stars Edinson Cavani and Marcos Rojo.
Cavani, who played at United for two years, got Boca off to a flyer by scoring in the 23rd minute.
But after Rojo, 33, was sent off with a second yellow card for a late tackle following the break, Joaquin Piquerez managed an equaliser for Palmeiras, forcing a shootout.
Things looked bleak for Boca at the start of the shootout after Cavani, 36, failed to score from 12 yards.
Romero then made two penalty saves against Raphael Veiga and Gustavo Gómez to make the difference as Boca emerged as 4-2 winners.
They will now play Fluminense in the final on November 4.
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Speaking after the game, Romero said: “I’m 36 years old – an age when I like to have fun, and for me penalties are fun.”
Boca midfielder Ezequiel Fernandez added: “You dream about these kind of days when you are a kid and so to live it is a unique, special experience.
“It’s history but we know how big we are, how great we are, but it is still a dream.”
Miraculously, the semi-final was not the first time Romero performed shootout heroics in the competition.
He also made double saves in the second legs of both the quarter-final and the last 16.
Boca are seeking a seventh Libertadores title, and a first since 2007.
Brazilian rivals Fluminense are hoping to win the trophy for the first time in the club’s history, with their 2008 runner-up feat the only other time they have been in the final.
ReutersMarcos Rojo was sent before Palmeiras scored a second-half equaliser[/caption]
AFPRojo was dismissed after a late challenge[/caption]
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