Matvey Safonov wins Champions League final without making a save
The Guardian Sport • 1 min read • Latest: Jun 3, 2026, 7:00 AM
Last updated Jun 3, 2026
Matvey Safonov did not make a single save during the Champions League final, which took place recently. His team emerged as winners despite not needing him to stop any shots in normal time, extra time, or penalties. This marks a rare occurrence, with sources noting similar instances involving goalkeepers in prior finals. Historical records include Vitor Baía in 2004 when José Mourinho’s Porto defeated Monaco 3-0, despite him not having any saves officially recorded. Editors highlighted the unusual nature of a goalkeeper's success without saves in critical matches.
- •Matvey Safonov won the Champions League final without any saves.
- •The final included normal time, extra time, and penalties.
- •Vitor Baía similarly went without saves in the 2004 final.
- •Historical records indicate other rare occurrences of this nature.
- 7:00 AMThe Guardian Sport — Which football goalkeepers have won major finals without making a save? | The Knowledge
"Plus: which teams had the most wins without promotion and can anyone match Jadon Sancho’s hat-trick? “Matvey Safonov did not make a single save in the Champions League final, across normal time, extra time and penalties, and wound up winning it,” notes Philip Cornwall. “I realise records are limited, but has this happened before in a major final?” We’ve found three more Champions League finals in which the winning goalkeeper did not have a save to make, though none of them had the chance to do so during a penalty competition. When José Mourinho’s Porto beat Monaco 3-0 in 2004, Vitor Baía made no saves that were officially recorded, though he did make one great stop when Fernando Morientes was wrongly flagged offside. Continue reading...
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