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Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen produced an outstanding stoppage time save to ensure Barcelona had a winning start to 2022.
Despite missing a number of key players the Blaugrana won 1-0 away at Mallorca courtesy of a header from Luuk de Jong on the stroke of half-time.
But the team owed a lot to their goalkeeper after he preserved the lead in the dying embers.
Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta whipped a teasing cross in from the right and found the unmarked Jaume Costa at the far post.
Having stolen free of his man the left-back produced an emphatic volleyed finish from close range in what looked like a certain equaliser.
But Ter Stegen conjured up some incredible heroics. Making himself big, the German batted the ball away with his arm courtesy of some cat-like reflexes.
The final angle is the one that shows just how great a stop it was from Ter Stegen. Serious Peter Schmeichel vibes.
You could see just how grateful Barca players were for their goalkeeper pulling them out of the muck, with Gerard Pique immediately embracing the former Borussia Monchengladbach man.
The 29-year-old has been linked with a move away from Barca but after coming to the rescue last night, defender Eric Garcia hailed Ter Stegen as a "top goalkeeper".
“We owe 70 percent of the win to Ter Stegen,” Garcia said post-match.
“He was spectacular. He’s a top goalkeeper. We know he responds in moments like that. Mallorca were pressing and we knew we had to soak it up and we’ve shown we’re able to do that.
“We know we had some big players missing but I think we’ll go on getting bodies back now,
“We stepped up today and played well in the first half. Teams above us dropped points and it was important to win to start the year well and close the gap on those above us.”
Featured Image Credit: Image: Premier SportsTopics: Marc Andre Ter Stegen, Barcelona, La Liga
Josh Lawless