By the time this season is done, Iker Casillas will turn 36 years old. But judging by the way he throws himself around to make some fantastic saves, it doesn’t look like he’s a day older than 28.
Last night’s top of the table clash between Portuguese Primeira Liga sides Porto and Sporting saw Casillas do the near-impossible and make a flying save to his right to deny Sporting a very late equaliser in stoppage time. Tiquinho’s brace had given Porto a 2-0 lead before substitute Alan Ruiz halved the lead with half an hour to go.
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With three minutes added on after the 90 minutes and the score reading 2-1 in favour of Porto, Sporting had a corner kick in the 93rd minute. The inswinging delivery into the box was dangerous and Sporting’s centre-back Sebastian Coates leapt the highest to direct a powerful header goalwards. Porto only had one man at the far post and the ball headed towards the other post.
The players were almost ready to celebrate with their hands above their heads before Casillas threw himself to the right – diving almost parallel to the ground – and clawed it away before a teammate came to the rescue and booted it away to safety.
Nobody believed what they had just witnessed. The home crowd roared in approval, Coates had his hands on his head in disbelief while Sporting coach Jorge Jesus looked away with his head in his hands.
Jesus even said he congratulated Casillas after the game, saying: “I told Iker Casillas that he won the game.”
It was as good as scoring a goal as Porto topped the table for the time being.
