Best save at Euro 2024? Analyzing Mert Gunuk’s 95th-minute wonder against Austria

Matt Pizdrowski is a coach and former goalkeeper who played professionally in the United States and Sweden. He works as a goalie analyst. The athlete.

With Turkey leading 2-1 in second-half stoppage time last night and Austria frantically searching for an equaliser, Turkey goalkeeper Mert Gunuk produced arguably the best save of the tournament so far when he narrowly denied Christoph Baumgartner from close range to secure his country’s place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.

It was a brilliant save reminiscent of Gordon Banks’ famous save of Pele’s shot for England against Brazil in the 1970 World Cup, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it was one of the best saves I’ve ever seen.

The way Junok came back across goal and saved the rebound off a wet surface on a rainy night, at such a crucial moment, was sensational.

Mert Gunok’s amazing save in the 95th minute 🤯😱#Euro at the last minute | @hublo pic.twitter.com/N2AImAbc7A

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 2, 2024

There is a level of instinctive awareness in Junok’s save that can only be built through hours of consistent work. The movements and interactions that occur as he throws himself at the ball can only be achieved because of the countless hours he has spent on the training pitch; the result of putting himself in the right place at exactly the right time over and over again. This save did not happen by chance.

As the ball soared high into the air, Junok first turned his body, then took three quick steps across his goal, all while keeping his head and eyes focused on the ball above him. This was important because, in a split second, it helped him judge the ball’s trajectory and trajectory while simultaneously anticipating its final destination. Had he hesitated even a moment, the goal might have forced his team into extra time.

It didn’t take long for Junok to realise that the ball that had initially passed through was not being captured in the air, and he quickly scanned the area in front of him and saw Baumgartner all alone at the back post. With the ball still in the air above him, Junok decided to look away and look at Baumgartner’s expected point of impact.

It may seem strange for a goalkeeper to take his eyes off the incoming ball, but that’s the main reason why Junok was able to make this save.

By anticipating the point of impact, he allowed himself to see the ball throughout its trajectory, keeping his feet in near-constant contact with the ground and timing his approach perfectly, helping him prepare at exactly the right time to impact the game. Had Junok kept his eyes on the ball and tried to react to the shot after impact, it was unlikely he would have been able to reach the ball in time, even with his excellent reflexes.

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The information he had in front of him (the speed of the pass, the rebound, and Baumgartner’s body shape) told him that the ball was likely headed back to where it came from. With limited reaction time, Junok resorted to using a smaller step (instead of a traditional forward step) because he no longer had the time or distance to make a larger step to his right. Instead, he had to tuck his right foot under him and push the ball with his outside (left) foot toward the ball.

As the ball headed towards goal, Junok placed his right leg under his foot and threw himself to his right with all his might, using every inch of his 196cm (6ft 5in) height to push the ball away from goal. His ability to momentarily gather his feet under him at the last moment allowed him to organize his movement at a crucial moment and anticipate the ball coming back into his goal to make a superb save.

What made things even more difficult for Junok at that moment was the way the ball bounced on its way towards the goal.

When the ball bounces in front of you, you are no longer dealing with a ball that has a predictable trajectory towards the goal, but rather a ball that can change direction and height after that bounce. At these moments, the goalkeeper often needs to make two moves, which is the main reason why a rebound or header like Baumgartner’s is so difficult to save. The goalkeeper first needs to move down to react to the low shot and then jump up when the ball bounces off the turf – all while simultaneously moving his body sideways and forward to get behind the shot and cut it out.

Getting the timing right and building a strong barrier behind the ball can be very difficult when you have a good ability to read the play. It becomes even more difficult when the ball changes direction on its way to your goal. It is at these moments that the goalkeeper’s concentration and timing are of utmost importance.

It’s hard to express how hard and fast your back foot must have been to push as hard and fast as Jonok did here to save the day. He had no intention of getting to that ball.

Junok’s passionate reaction after his save and the non-verbal reactions of the Austrian players after they failed to equalise says more than any words could about how great the match was.

Saves are very similar to goals in that their effects and the stage at which the save is made determine how great they are.

If last night’s save had happened at any other time in the game, it would not have been etched into history. The fact that it happened at the last minute, and could have been the difference between Turkey advancing to the quarter-finals or going out either after extra time or on penalties, makes it even more special.

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(Photo: John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images)