After the painful defeat against Germany, in a game in which Spain performed at a high level, but ended up paying dearly for two serious mistakes, the players of the Spanish team have once again set an example of unity by supporting Sandra Paños. The goalkeeper from Alicante made a blunder in Germany's first goal, three minutes into the game, and she was not very successful in the 2-0 action either.
As soon as the final whistle was blown in Brentford, Paños burst into tears and was comforted by her teammates. A support that continued before the media, with declarations of support from all of them. “There is nothing to say to Sandra, she is a goalkeeper. We are going to die with her”, Irene Paredes assured the RTVE cameras, who also pointed out that all the responsibility for this defeat did not lie with the goalkeeper: “If we had scored more goals, we would not be talking about this”. Along the same lines, Aitana Bonmatí spoke: "We did not lose because of her," she sentenced. The Barcelona midfielder recalled that Paños "is the best goalkeeper in the world with her feet" and that she continues to be "a very important player for Spain and for Barça".
After the game, the goalkeeper from Alicante faced the press and explained how she felt: "It makes me angry because nobody likes to fail, and even less so in games like this," she told the Marca newspaper. "You stop to think that if she hadn't made the mistake, perhaps the game would have been totally different," she lamented, before confessing that she felt very supported by all of her teammates.
Already cold, the goalkeeper has published a profound reflection on yesterday night on her social networks. “I failed, I take responsibility,” she writes, being honest about her feelings: “Every defeat, every goal conceded hurts the soul. And this is football and the position of goalkeeper, exposed to any mistake being penalized and punished”. "Mistakes have never defined my character, nor will they ever," says Paños, who also has words for the affection he has received: "Yesterday I fell, today I got up supported by the group and in my mind is only helping the team in the best way I know how, competing and being strong.”
“For me, the only mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. And learning, commitment and self-demand are words that always go with me. To prepare Denmark well and go for it”, concludes the starting goalkeeper of Spain in an Instagram post to which teammates from the national team and Barça have reacted, such as the Swiss Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic or the Norwegian Ingrid Engen.
Spain will face Denmark on Saturday (9pm, Brentford) on the last day of the group stage with the ticket to the quarterfinals at stake. Both Spanish and Danish have options to pass as second in the group, the first place is already assured by Germany. Who has it better, on paper, is the red one, which is also worth the tie to qualify.
