3/1 To Win
Goalkeeper Kelle Roos was the hero as Derby County progressed to the Second Round of the Carabao Cup on Saturday afternoon with a tense penalty shoot-out win over Barrow AFC.
The giant Dutch shot-stopper made three excellent saves in the shoot-out as Derby recorded a 3-2 victory on spot-kicks.
The tie was decided by penalties following a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes at Pride Park Stadium in the Rams’ first competitive fixture of the 2020/21 season.
Roos was happy to play his part in Derby’s progression beyond the First Round stage for the fifth successive season and admitted that small details in the shoot-out were the key behind his hat-trick of saves.
Speaking to RamsTV after the game, Roos said: “In a penalty shoot-out, as a goalkeeper, I have a good feeling for it - and it is something that is hard to describe.
“I look at the body language, like if the player is nervous, what their body angle is and stuff like that, and with all those factors you try and guess where the player will put the ball. For example, if it is a bit pressurised you can think that they might go ‘safe’ if you like.
“In my position, I try to apply some more pressure if I can in the shoot-out and it felt like it paid off this time.”
He added: “You can analyse a lot in advance, until the last second, but you know the taker can always do something else so that can be difficult.
“It comes down to small details in the end. On this occasion, it paid off for me and us.”
Derby enjoyed much of the play against the Sky Bet League 2 newcomers, attempting 17 shots over the 90 minutes, but were unable to break David Dunn’s side down.
At the other end, Roos felt the Rams were solid in their defensive shape as they restricted the visitors to few opportunities.
The 27-year-old is confident that it is area which can be built on going forward in the weeks ahead.
“It was a good game for us,” Roos said. “Barrow had a very good shape and were very hard to break to down.
“We probably didn’t create as many clear opportunities as we would have wanted, but at the same time we were solid at the back.
“That’s positive and something to build on for us further down the pitch, which I am sure we will do.”
Derby will get their 2020/21 Sky Bet Championship season underway with a home fixture against Reading on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
