Mert Günok explained how he made that save to Sunay Akın 4 years ago: The Peter Schmeichel detail

Mert Günok, one of the players who played a significant role in Turkey's victory at EURO 2024, has become a global talking point due to his save. 

Legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel commented on the save by Mert, which prevented the match from going into extra time. 

'THE ONLY THING I CAN SAY IS OH MY GOD'

Schmeichel said the following:

“Oh my God! To make this save, first of all, you have to wait to see where the ball is going. The player is not shooting where the (goalkeeper's) hand will reach, but towards the slippery ground. The ball won't drop, it will rise.

The ball goes down first, which is already a difficult situation for a goalkeeper. Then, when it bounces off the ground, it speeds up a bit more. The goalkeeper needs to react to this. Ultimately, he has to parry the ball.

Intervening with the ball is one thing, but to clear it like that... Oh my God! The only thing I can say is Oh my God!"

MERT GÜNOK EXPLAINED IT 4 YEARS AGO

According to Metin Aktaşoğlu from Mashable Türkiye, citing The Athletic; about 4 years ago, when Mert Günok was a guest on Sunay Akın's YouTube program "İşte O Çocuk" (That Child), he stated that rain was an advantage for him. While Akın set the scene with his unique style, saying “The match has started and it's raining... What do you feel?”, Mert gave this answer:

“Actually, rainy weather is my favorite. I always prefer a wet pitch over a dry one. Because on a wet pitch, you can very easily predict how the ball will come. The moment a ball played behind the defense bounces on the ground, it will come to me faster. I can adjust myself better accordingly. When a shot bounces, I can calculate that sliding speed. But on a dry pitch, it's not clear which way the ball will turn when it hits the ground, depending on its spin.

A ball played behind the defense, so to speak, a ball hit by the player getting under it, stays there when it hits the ground on a dry pitch. But on a wet pitch, it comes towards you. And when you come out for the ball on a dry pitch, you can suddenly get caught in between. The forward player can reach the ball before you. And I have conceded goals like that before. A wet pitch is always better for me.”

News Source: 12punto