Top News
De Gea reputation at all-time low as Spain exit FIFA World Cup
Moscow, July 2 (IANS) Spain were knocked out of the World Cup after losing 3-4 on penalties to Russia on Sunday after their round of 16 game ended 1-1 after 120 minutes. Although few members of the Spain’s football squad travel home with their reputation enhanced following their disappointing World Cup campaign, there is one player whose image has taken a bigger beating than anyone: goalkeeper David de Gea.
The Manchester United man travelled to Russia as arguably the best goalkeeper in the world after another excellent campaign in the Premier League and leaves being compared to a “tree stump”, “a traffic cone” and “a ghost” after a truly horrible World Cup in which nothing went right for him.
Spain conceded six goals in the World Cup and although you could argue that only one was because of a clear error from De Gea (Portugal’s second goal in the 3-3 draw in Sochi on June 13) the numbers are cruel, reports Xinhua news agency.
In four matches he managed to save just one shot on target from 11 he faced, including four from Sunday’s penalty shoot-out. That is the lowest percentage of stops since 1966 by a keeper who has played in a World Cup.
A supporter would argue that five of those shots came from penalty kicks and that he actually got a hand to the first penalty Russia scored in Sunday’s shoot out, but comparisons can be cruel.
Only a matter of hours after Spain’s exit, Denmark played Croatia with Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel saving a penalty in normal time and two in the shoot-out, while Croatian keeper Danijel Subasic was the hero of the hour with three saves in the shoot-out.
Some of the saves Subasic made were from shots similar to those which seemed to go straight through De Gea, prompting Diario AS to say he was “in ghost mode”.
De Gea looked nervous, while Schmeichel and Subasic were intimidating rather than intimidated. He’d also looked uncomfortable on crosses and his distribution was poor throughout the tournament. Indeed there were strong calls for Kepa Arrizabalaga to replace him against Russia.
Perhaps Spain coach Fernando Hierro, mindful that confidence is a major factor for goalkeepers, could see the harm that dropping De Gea would do to his keeper and kept faith in him. That faith wasn’t rewarded and we will never know if Kepa could have been Spain’s saviour.
One thing is clear, with Spain set to appoint a new coach in the wake of their World Cup failure, De Gea has to convince him, the press and the fans that he is the still the man to defend the Spanish goal or he may have to get in line behind Kepa.
–IANS
pur/vm
Top News
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.