Aston Villa players rushed over to New Zealand goalkeeper Anna Leat and tackled her to the ground after Maz Pacheco slotted the winning goal in their League Cup triumph over Manchester United.
The 21-year-old was the hero for Villa, saving an incredible four penalties during the shootout to secure a 4-3 win, and her team-mates made sure she knew it after a sensational debut.
They sprinted past Pacheco, tackled Leat the ground and piled on top of her during the celebrations.
The eight-cap Football Fern, who joined Villa on a two-year deal in July, kept out efforts from Hayley Ladd, Ella Toone, Hannah Bundell and Ona Battle before Pacheco stepped up and scored the winner.
READ MORE:
* The unlikely clash that holds the record for the largest women’s sports crowd in New Zealand
* Michaela Robertson first Wellingtonian to sign for Phoenix women’s team
* Sport NZ launches It’s Time campaign in effort to boost interest in elite women’s sport
The game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes with England internationals Nikita Parris and Rachel Daly, trading goals for United and Villa.
“You just have to pick a way and go for it because they’re class players, they’re going to slot it right in the side of the net. You’ve just got to go all out and make sure you reach it,” said Leat, who had practiced penalties during the week.
“It wasn’t quite what I expected [saving four penalties] but I’m not unhappy about it! It’s brilliant to get a result against Man U. We’ll all be buzzing about that and it sets us up well for the cup.”
It was the second time Leat had been the hero of a penalty shootout, having saved and scored during New Zealand’s quarterfinal win over Japan during their famous run at the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2018.
Leat was handed a debut in Villa’s first League Cup match after sitting on the bench behind England international Hannah Hampton in the club’s first two FA Women’s Super League matches.
Leat will now travel to Japan to link up with the Football Ferns ahead of their international friendly next Sunday night.
© 2022 Stuff Limited