Matic had to go through below – now he’s hexing FCL out of the cup
“It’s a brutally awesome feeling”
Goalie Mateo Matic (27) became a hero in the spectacular Cup Round of 16 victory of lower-class FC Thun against FC Luzern on Tuesday evening (4:2 nP). Half a year ago he was still without a club – now he’s annoying a Super League friend.
Published: 6 minutes ago
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He has it: In the penalty shootout, no Lucerne player can get past Thun goalie Mateo Matic.
Suddenly Mateo Matic is the center of attention again. The 27-year-old goalie is finally enjoying the sunny side of professional football again as a penalty killer after 120 minutes against the Lucerne shooters.
“It’s a brutally awesome feeling,” says Matic to Blick. “For me, this is an upswing to gain a new foothold. I am just happy.” In 2021 he was still a promotion goalie at GC, then Moreira was put in front of him and last June he was without a contract. Until he was only able to stay in Thun at the end of August because regular goalie Ziswiler was injured. Five months later he is the Thun hero.
This is how Matic goes about penalty killing
In the penalty shootout against Lucerne, Matic parried all the first three attempts: From his point of view, the bottom right against the former German international Max Meyer, again the bottom right against ex-Thun goalgetter Sorgic and the bottom left against Emini, with referee Horisberger then having the Emini penalty repeated – according to TV pictures he was on the line, this save should have counted as well.
Matic’s recipe for success? Listen to your gut! “You analyze how they start, we get videos from the goalkeeper coach and before the penalty shoot-out we briefly discussed it, but in the end it’s just a gut feeling in the goal.”
When Matic moved from GC to Schaffhausen on loan in 2017, even the current national team coach Murat Yakin praised him in the “Schaffhauser Nachrichten”: He was a very modern goalie, strong with his hands and feet. Matic still has to let Meyer’s penalty for the early FCL lead goal (7th) pass, then he turns it up.
“Know each other very well privately”
His opponent in the penalty duel: a good buddy, Vaso Vasic (32), who had to replace FCL regular goalie Müller after his shoulder injury (54th). Both know each other from before. Matic on the joint cup duel: “We played together briefly at GC, we also know each other very well privately.”
“Of course I was happy for him when he came onto the field. And especially in the penalty shootout it was a duel between colleagues. » Matic prevailed against Vasic in the duel of the ex-hoppers.
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