Lille goalkeeper saves 3 penalties in Europa League win

Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer saved three successive penalties in a remarkable end to their 1-0 win over Roma in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The French side led through an early Hakon Haraldsson goal in the Italian capital but Roma had the chance to equalise late on after a handball by Aissa Mandi.

Artem Dovbyk saw his effort saved but the referee ordered a retake for encroachment after defender Romain Perraud cleared the ball behind for a corner.

Ozer denied Dovbyk for a second time but was deemed to have left his line too soon and Roma were given another chance from the spot.

Dovbyk stepped aside to let Matias Soule take the third attempt, but he too was foiled by Ozer as Lille held on for their second win in a row in the competition.

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“No one can expect to save three penalties in one evening. It was like being in a dream for me,” said Ozer, the 25-year-old Turkey international who joined Lille in August after Lucas Chevalier signed for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

“I knew I was going to save the first attempt but the other two, it was really strange. I don’t know what to say.

“Before the match I promised my fiancee that I wouldn’t concede any goals. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

“If there had been a fourth one, I could have stopped that too,” joked Ozer.

Lille coach Bruno Genesio lauded the heroics of his goalkeeper and said he had “never seen anything like it”.

The Star