Departing Perth Glory attacker Brendon Santalab admits his attempted Panenka penalty in the A-League grand final was the wrong decision and one he’ll regret for a long time.
Sydney FC keeper Andrew Redmayne was ready for Santalab’s cheeky attempt and made a routine save in the shootout to tee up Reza Ghoochannejhad for the match-winning spot kick.
As the Sky Blues celebrated a fourth championship, Santalab’s A-League career was brought to a close in tough circumstances.
“I just probably need some days to recover mentally,” Santalab told The Daily Telegraph.
“When you have played for that long and you end your career this way, it’s pretty hard to take.
“Wrong decision at the wrong time. Obviously with Redders being my teammate before he probably had it in the back of his mind that I’ve done it before and took the chance to say in the middle.
“It’s something I’ll always look back on and regret, but I’m also proud of the career I’ve had.
“I thank my teammates and apologise to the fans and my coach and my teammates and everyone involved at Perth Glory.
“Some of the best players in the world have missed penalties, and I’m unfortunately on that list of big moments where players have missed.”
While Santalab’s A-League career is over, he’ll be out to put his grand-final moment behind him quickly with the 36-year-old now expected to play for Dandenong City in Victorian NPL.
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