Reserve keeper’s joy tempered by regret

Football matches technically last 90 minutes, although the clock generally runs to minute 92, 93, or even more. However, games are often decided in a fraction of a second – as in the 83rd minute of Bayern’s trip to face Roma on Tuesday night, when a long punt from midfield bounced in the FCB penalty area.

“It was a hard one to judge,” Thomas Kraft mused, “I decided to come off my line a tiny bit too late.” The result of the momentary indecision was that the young keeper missed the ball and tripped Roma striker Marco Borriello instead. Francesco Totti converted from the spot to earn Roma their 3-2 win. “I was just too late,” Kraft lamented, “I either had to come out earlier or stand my ground.” The fraction of a second in which Kraft hesitated ultimately settled the outcome.