David Prutton has told the Garibaldi Red podcast that Nottingham Forest man Brice Samba did something that he’s never seen before on a football pitch last week.
The goalkeeper was Forest’s hero against Sheffield United. He saved three penalties as the Reds beat the Blades 3-2 in the shootout to reach the Wembley final.
Samba made smart stops from Oliver Norwood, Conor Hourihane and Morgan Gibbs-White to spark pandemonium on Trentside.
Forest will take on Huddersfield in the final on Sunday and thanks largely to Samba, they’re just 90 minutes away from the Premier League.
Prutton was working on the game for Sky Sports and he claims that Samba did something that he’s never seen before in his time watching football.
He told the Garibaldi Red podcast: “Showmanship isn’t the word as there’s a performance element of what he does. I can safely say I’ve never seen a goalkeeper dominate a penalty shootout like that. The saves were exceptional. The save that was tipped onto the bar is an unbelievable reaction save.”
Samba has been forced to accept some criticism at times during his three years at the club.
He hasn’t always covered himself in glory with his form at times proving erratic and his gamesmanship antics seeing him walking a tightrope.
The Congolese stopper has now proved his critics wrong. His heroics against Sheffield United will see him go into Forest folklore and now he’ll want to help the team finish the job.
Forest man Samba deserves Prutton praise and this needs to be defining moment
The goalkeeper was utterly superb against Sheffield United. It wasn’t just his penalty heroics but he also made two brilliant saves in normal time too.
Prutton clearly has a soft spot for Forest. He spoke with a smile on his face during this week’s podcast and the former midfielder would love the Reds to finish the job.
For Samba, he now has a clear challenge. He must take this performance, bottle it and prove himself to be the quality goalkeeper that his supporters know he can be.
Gamesmanship is one thing but he’s paid to save shots. Against Sheffield United, he did that with aplomb and that’s the Samba we know and love.
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