David Ospina gets no respect. Arsenal fans don’t like him. He’s too short, he doesn’t react fast enough, he can’t command the box. Yet when none of his Colombia teammates could finish off Peru in the Copa América Centenario quarterfinals, it was Ospina who delivered and sent Los Cafeteros to their first Copa semifinal in 12 years, making two crucial saves to deliver a 4-2 penalty shootout victory after a 0-0 draw.
David Ospina was the lone standout star of Colombia vs. Peru
The Arsenal keeper made two massive saves to send Los Cafeteros through.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
The game plan was simple for Peru: Stifle the potent Colombia attack, and hope to catch them on the break. Well, they held James Rodríguez and company to only one shot on target, but had absolutely no ability to get forward. There was way more fouling going on than actual soccer being played -- 30 total fouls and only 13 total shots does not a good soccer game make.
Then again, nobody wants to go to a penalty shootout after 90 minutes, either. The peculiarities of CONMEBOL’s quarterfinal and semifinal rules accelerated the pace in the final 10 minutes. Suddenly, Peru looked threatening. That’s where Ospina stepped in. His only save of the entire match came in the 92nd minute off of a corner kick.
FT: Peru 0, Colombia 0. We're headed to a penalty shootout thanks to this clutch save from Ospina on Ramos. #PERvCOL https://t.co/ARGPwvra7E
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2016
That save sent the game to penalties. Ospina got beaten on the first two, but when Peru left back Miguel Trauco stepped up to the spot, Ospina somehow managed to scissor the ball away.
David Ospina only had to make one save in the shootout for Colombia, but what a save it was. #PERvCOL #MyCopaColors https://t.co/2KqbnPeLPz
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2016
That was all Ospina needed to do. A visibly nervous Christian Cueva shanked the ball on Peru’s final take, and Colombia were through.
Given the potency of Colombia’s attack on paper, it’s kind of surprising that a bridegroom of a keeper like Ospina was the guy who made the highlight reels. Whether they play Mexico or Chile in the semifinals, Ospina is going to have to stay sharp, especially if Rodríguez, Juan Cuadrado, and Carlos Bacca can’t break down the opposing defense. Colombia should be nervous about the next round, but until then, they get to bask in the wizardry of their (relatively) diminutive savior between the sticks.
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