On-loan Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili joked that he made a bet with Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior that he would save his penalty as Valencia won 2-1 at the Bernabeu.
Mamardashvili, who signed for the Reds last year before being immediately loaned back to Valencia, produced a man-of-the-match display in the Spanish capital, making a total of eight saves, including one from a tame Vinicius spot-kick.
The save looked to have played a key role in Valencia earning a point, but it got even better for the visiting team as Hugo Duro scored a 95th-minute winner to pull Los Ches seven points clear of La Liga's relegation zone.
READ MORE: Arsenal's remaining fixtures as Liverpool knows what is needed to win Premier League title
READ MORE: Liverpool gets title favor from Everton as Mikel Arteta's Arsenal decision speaks volumes
Speaking to reporters after the match, Mamardashvili said: "I had a conversation with Vinicius and won €50 ($54.80) from him." Pressed on how he had "won" the €50, the 24-year-old responded: "Yes, I asked him if he wanted to play for €50, and he said yes. So, I won. He was supposed to pay me after the match, but he hasn't given it to me yet. It's no big deal."
La Liga rules prohibit players from gambling on games in competitions that they are involved in, so it will be curious to see whether Mamardashvili faces repercussions over his comments, despite the apparent lightheartedness of them.
On the field, Mamardashvili impressed and received praise from Valencia manager Carlos Corberan as a result. “It was an exercise in great effort and resilience," Corberan said. "You have to do everything perfectly, but in the moments where Real Madrid outplayed us, we had Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was one of the key players in the game. The more we attacked, the closer we got to what we wanted.”
When he links up with the Liverpool squad this summer, Mamardashvili is expected to replace Caoimhin Kelleher as Alisson's main competition for the first-choice goalkeeper role at Anfield, with the Ireland international set to leave this summer in search of a club where he can realise his ambition of being a regular No. 1.
Speaking last September, Kelleher said: "I've made it clear in the last few years that I want to go and be a number one and play week in, week out. The club's made that decision to get another goalkeeper (Mamardashvili) and from the outside looking in, it looks like they've made a decision to go in a different direction."
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk has told Kelleher to stay focused as Liverpool aims to wrap up the title in the coming weeks. Kelleher started a Premier League game for the first time since December as he kept a clean sheet in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday.
Asked after the match what his advice would be for Kelleher ahead of an expected summer exit, Van Dijk responded: “Be a Premier League champion, and that’s what the aim is for the rest of the season and what happens next after the season – we’ll see then. He has a big job on his hands now, whether he starts or has to make sure that Ali is ready – that’s the main target. We are committed to the club and we all have to fight in order to get our dreams, big dream, ready.”
