Jack Kenmare
Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman performed a magic trick [no, really] to distract Vancouver Whitecaps penalty-taker Ranko Veselinovic in their Leagues Cup clash – and it actually worked.
If you haven't heard of The Leagues Cup, then let me explain. Hosted in the United States and Canada, clubs from Major League Soccer and Liga MX in North America come together to face each other.
A total of 47 teams compete in the tournament, including Inter Miami, Real Salt Lake, Nashville and Toluca, who have all qualified for the Round of 16.
And on Friday night at the BC Place, Liga MX giants Tigres booked their place in the next stage thanks to goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman, who saved a dramatic penalty in their shoot-out win against Vancouver.
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Guzan, also known as “El Paton", saved a spot-kick from Vancouver defender Ranko Veselinovic but before doing so, he did one of the most random things we've ever seen on a football pitch.
Have you seen anything like this before?
Before pulling off the so-called magic trick, Guzman could also be seen miming in a bid to distract the opposition.
Here's how social media reacted to the scenes in Canada.
One fan wrote: "As a penalty taker you're already traumatised seeing that," while another commented: "Goalkeepers are rushing to magic shops as we speak."
A third said: "I saw pictures of this everywhere and surely thought it was fake. I came here to verify and yup it’s real. WTF."
A fourth wrote: "This guy is known for doing crazy and/or dumb stuff in Mexico I believe. Also was Argentina's third keeper in the 2018 World Cup and there was some drama about how he got in the squad."
A fifth added: "This is genuinely mind-blowing s***housery. I can't wait for the next game where he catches the ball and it explodes into a cloud of confetti and doves."
Pedro Vite opened the scoring for Vancouver on Friday night before former France international Andre-Pierre Gignac equalised for the Mexican side.
After the teams could not be separated in normal time, Tigres, and Guzman in particular, delivered when it mattered most.
Thoughts on the goalkeeper's antics? Let us know in the comments.