- Grabara had a nightmare start in a Champions League match at Man City
- The goalkeeper should have saved Julian Alvarez’s speculative goal with ease
- The top five misses of all time… and Erling Haaland isn’t number 1 – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Copenhagen goalkeeper Kamil Grabara had a chilling moment when he let Julian Alvarez’s shot slip through his fingers – and Rio Ferdinand was ruthless in his mocking.
Grabara should have easily saved Alvarez’s speculative shot from outside the penalty area but was beaten as the Danish side went down 2-0 at the Etihad inside nine minutes.
His misfortune dropped the Danish champions to a 5-1 deficit in the last 16 of the Champions League on aggregate, all but extinguishing their faint hopes of progress.
Rio Ferdinand joked: ‘I thought it could have been the masked singer in the goal!’ referring to Grabara’s mask, which he has been wearing since 2022 due to a facial fracture.
Unfortunately, Ferdinand’s assumption was misleading. Mail Sport can confirm that Grabara, 25, is yet to appear in the globally popular TV series ‘The Masked Singer’.
Kamil Grabara got off to a poor start as he let Julian Alvarez’s shot slip through his fingers for Manchester City’s second goal after nine minutes.
Rio Ferdinand joked he thought it was the ‘masked singer’ in goal after the roar
Grabara, formerly of Liverpool, has worn a face mask since 2022 after suffering a facial fracture
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TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher had suggested that Grabara’s mask may have slipped, obscuring his vision as Alvarez’s shot flew towards him.
Manuel Akanji had given Pep Guaridola’s team the lead after five minutes with a beautiful volley.
Alvarez then scored his sixteenth goal of the season when he fired his shot towards Grabara.
The Polish custodian, who was on the books at Liverpool in 2018/19, did not seem particularly fazed by the error and remained calm.
‘It is bad action by the goalkeeper. It is a disastrous mistake,” Stephen Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live.
Copenhagen got one back after 29 minutes through Mohamed Elyounoussi in a manic first 30 minutes in Manchester.