We look at the performances of the four goalkeepers in action on day 20 of the 2014 World Cup finals, including former Manchester United and current Chelsea players.
There were two last-16 matches at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil on Tuesday.
The first game was between Argentina and Switzerland at the Arena de Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, and it ended in a 1-0 extra-time victory for the South American giants.
The next match was between Belgium and the USA at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, which finished in a thrilling 2-1 extra-time win for the Red Devils.
Let’s now take a look at who the best goalkeeper was on Tuesday.
Saves
| Team | Pos | Saves | Saved Ibox | Saved Obox | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Howard | USA | GK | 15 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 120 |
| Diego Benaglio | Switzerland | GK | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 120 |
| Thibaut Courtois | Belgium | GK | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 120 |
| Sergio Romero | Argentina | GK | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 120 |
USA goalkeeper Tim Howard was indisputably the star of the show on Tuesday, as he created history against Belgium.
The former Manchester United player made no fewer than 15 saves – a World Cup record. The 35-year-old’s heroics will go down in history as one of the best ever seen in an international match.
Howard’s performance becomes ever more impressive when one considers that most of his saves were made on shots taken from inside the box – 11.
Diego Benaglio of Switzerland also had a busy day as he was forced into making seven saves against Argentina, six of which were on close-range attempts.
Good High Claim, Accurate Goal Kicks, Accurate Keeper Sweeper
| Team | Pos | Good High Claim | Accurate Goal Kicks | Accurate Keeper Sweeper | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Benaglio | Switzerland | GK | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 120 |
| Thibaut Courtois | Belgium | GK | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 120 |
| Tim Howard | USA | GK | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 120 |
| Sergio Romero | Argentina | GK | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 120 |
Switzerland’s Benaglio caught more crosses than anyone else on Tuesday, while his opposite number Sergio Romero did not catch any.
Howard once again leads the ‘accurate goal kicks’ category, as no fewer than 11 of the Everton star’s goal kicks reached their intended targets.
Romero is second in this category with eight, while Benaglio and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had just three of their goal kicks reach their intended targets.
Chelsea star Courtois, who played on loan for Atletico Madrid last season, came off his line three times against the USA on Tuesday to win the ball; Benaglio, who plays his club football at Wolfsburg, did so once.
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