Caoimhin Kelleher said that his recent penalty saves for Ireland and Liverpool gave him confidence that he would thwart Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League.
The Reds were leading 1-0 after Alexis Mac Allister had coolly finished past Thibaut Courtois when Andy Robertson was penalized for upending Lucas Vazquez in the box.
Mbappe, a peripheral figure on the night, stepped up to try and draw his side level but was denied by Kelleher, who sprung to his left to preserve the Reds’ lead.
Liverpool went on to win 2-0 as Cody Gakpo doubled the Reds’ lead — after Mohamed Salah had missed a penalty of his own — and Kelleher was asked about his save from Mbappe after the match.
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“I don’t really look at the player too much,” Kelleher responded when asked what it was like to face Mbappe. “I felt confident. I’ve saved two in the last week or so; I was confident, and thankfully I went the right way again.”
On the win itself, Kelleher added: “It was a big result. It was a massive game for us. Obviously, they got the better of us the last few times against us in the Champions League. We wanted to come out tonight, put on a big performance, and the lads did really well.”
