Miguel Silva went from tragic figure to shootout hero inside the same wild European night, and according to Itzik Kornfein, Beitar Jerusalem's decision to keep backing their goalkeeper through the swing was exactly the right call.
Appearing on ONE's Sicha Hayom programme, the former Beitar goalkeeper and one-time club CEO argued that the way Beitar's dressing room and staff stood behind Silva after his costly mistake helped the Portuguese recover in time to save the tie in the Conference League third qualifying round shootout against AEK Larnaca.
"Beitar did well to back Miguel Silva," Kornfein said, the comment that gave the segment its title, adding that the goalkeeper remains one of the squad's leaders this season despite his lapses in concentration.
The context was dramatic. Beitar had won the first leg in Jerusalem 1-0, but the return in Cyprus swung wildly: Larnaca twice forced the Israeli side level before Silva was beaten late to send the tie to extra time at 2-2, and Larnaca then edged 3-2 ahead deep into the additional 30 minutes.
That left the tie level at 3-3 on aggregate and set up a shootout in which Silva atoned in the most emphatic way, saving two penalties to send Beitar through 4-3 and into the next qualifying round, where they will meet Austria Wien.
Kornfein's reading was that the release of pressure after the saves effectively erased the earlier error from the ledger. "The pressure eased on him once he saved those penalties," he said, predicting Silva will keep his place as Beitar's first-choice goalkeeper.
He was not blind to the flaw that put Beitar in that position in the first place, though. Kornfein pointed to Silva's occasional trouble dealing with high balls and crosses under pressure as the recurring issue behind his mistakes.
His prescription was practical rather than punitive: more work with a mental coach and closer video analysis of exactly those situations, rather than any suggestion of dropping a goalkeeper he still rates highly.
Looking ahead, Kornfein flagged Austria Wien as a considerably tougher examination than Larnaca, and one where Beitar's goalkeeper is likely to be tested again if they are to advance further in Europe.
