Safonov Hailed By Luis Enrique As PSG's Best Penalty Saver

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Paris Saint-Germain returned to the Ligue 1 summit with a 2-1 victory over Strasbourg, helped by Matvey Safonov’s key penalty save and goals from Senny Mayulu and Nuno Mendes, as Guela Doue replied for the hosts. The win keeps PSG two points ahead of Lens, who have taken nine wins from their last 10 league matches.

The match at the Stade de la Meinau tightened PSG’s grip before the Classique against Marseille on 8 February 2026. Yet the outcome might have changed early on, when Joaquin Panichelli stepped up from the spot in the 20th minute, only for Safonov to dive right and keep the effort out.

After the game, Luis Enrique highlighted Safonov’s talent from twelve yards, placing the goalkeeper above every other penalty stopper coached so far. Luis Enrique said: "I have had, during my career, a lot of goalkeepers with the ability to save penalties, but he is the best goalkeeper I have ever had in this respect. His ability to guess the side where the penalty is going to be taken, to get to the place where the player is going to hit it... this is a very important quality."

Safonov’s record this season supports Luis Enrique’s view. Across all competitions, including shoot-outs, Safonov has faced seven penalties and kept out five, the highest total among goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues. Four of those saves came in a shoot-out win over Flamengo in the Intercontinental Cup in December, when Safonov stopped four of five kicks.

PSG’s performance as a whole was less dominant than the scoreline suggests, with Strasbourg leading the expected goals numbers by 2.31 to 1.34. Reflecting on the display, Luis Enrique said: "Our first half was very poor. We controlled the game, but a long way from the opposition goal. It was difficult, but towards the end of the second half, we managed to have possession in their half. We created more chances. It was still quite complicated for us, but I think this is a very important win, for our confidence, and to maintain our position on the ladder. It was also important to help prepare for next week's game against Marseille."

This outing was only Safonov’s third Ligue 1 appearance of the campaign, with Lucas Chevalier, signed from Lille for a significant fee in pre-season, starting 17 league games. However, Safonov currently leads the internal statistics in all competitions, posting a 72.2% save rate compared with Chevalier’s 64.6%, strengthening the case for more starts.

The goalkeeping depth also includes third-choice Renato Marin, giving Luis Enrique several options for the run-in. Asked whether Safonov is now first choice ahead of Chevalier and Marin, Luis Enrique replied: "I don't know, it depends on the performances, it depends on life. What I can say as a coach is that it's very good for me to have three goalkeepers of this level."

With Lens maintaining pressure and Marseille awaiting in the Classique, PSG’s narrow success at Strasbourg carries weight beyond three points. Safonov’s numbers from open play and penalties, combined with Luis Enrique’s trust, give PSG a strong platform in goal as the Ligue 1 title race tightens in the coming weeks.