Spot-on Douglas puts doubt in Spanish minds

If Robert Douglas had been hoping to keep his secret safe from prying Spanish eyes, the goalkeeper blew his cover in the rain in Braga last Wednesday. Outwitting one of La Liga's copious talents would turn a few heads, yet when the man in question is Luis Figo it guarantees attention.

Douglas's penalty save from the £38m Real Madrid icon could not prevent Scotland from succumbing to a 2-0 friendly defeat to Portugal, but when he faces up to the more serious task of Celtic's Uefa Cup third-round tie with Celta Vigo on Thursday, his name will be on the Spanish club's mind.

Last season, Douglas used the same stage to catapult himself into international recognition when he saved three penalties in a shoot-out with Valencia. Sadly for the 30-year-old, Celtic still went out of the competition, but the way Martin O'Neill's side performed, especially in beating the team now regarded as Europe's best at Parkhead, they raised their stock and Douglas's along with it.

The robust goalkeeper let in just one goal at the Mastella Stadium – a feat Liverpool would now envy – and was already on his way to supplanting Neil Sullivan as Scotland's No 1 before his penalty heroics. Berti Vogts waited until the Tottenham man's injury to reward Douglas with his debut against South Korea last summer, but the wonderful display against Portugal was merely further evidence that the job is now his for keeps. "It was great to save a penalty from one of the greatest names in football," reflected Douglas on his Figo feat, "but we still lost two goals and were beaten and that is disappointing."

Douglas is obsessive about his job. A fortnight ago, he was throwing himself about furiously in the dying minutes of the tie with Blackburn Rovers. Even though Celtic already had a 3-0 aggregate lead to book their ticket into the next round, their goalkeeper was in no mood to yield a goal.

"I wanted a clean sheet in both games against Blackburn," he explained, "and it was hugely satisfying to get them. We got a lot of stick from the English media, and from Blackburn, after the first leg and we just wanted to go down to Ewood Park do the business quietly, without shouting about it."

The misjudgment of Garry Flitcroft after the first game in Glasgow, that it had been "men against boys – and we were the men", was a quote which came back to haunt the Blackburn captain. Douglas snuffed out Rovers' early threat, but played down his role. "My hardest save was a pass-back from Neil Lennon."

Douglas, however, is a barrier to any player at the moment. Especially from 12 yards. Apart from his penalty heroics against Figo and Valencia, he also saved Celtic from a Scottish League Cup exit three weeks ago against Partick Thistle in a shoot-out that went to 18 kicks. Three times Partick had the chance to win the tie and each time Douglas defied them.

The secret of his success, though, is staying locked up. "Maybe it's down to luck," he smiled. "However, I also have a wee technique, but I am not saying what it is." If Celta Vigo study the video of Celtic's encounter with Valencia, they might find something, but Douglas is certain fate plays a large part. "We were unlucky to go out," he said. "I think even Valencia would agree they were outplayed at Parkhead. Had [Santiago] Canizares not made a great save from John Hartson in the last minute of extra-time, there might not have been a shoot-out. In the first game in Spain I had a lot of saves to make, but the second leg was one of our best displays all season."

The former builder has discovered the hard way that goalkeeping can be the loneliesttrade. Two blunders which allowed Rangers to snatch a 3-3 draw in early October brought calls for O'Neill to replace him with the £2m summer signing Magnus Hedman. Douglas slipped away from the furore with Scotland and quietly rebuilt his reputation with a shut-out in the Euro 2004 qualifier in Iceland.

"That really helped me," he said. "Keepers are always just one game away from being branded a dud. The criticism doesn't bother me. Sure the Old Firm game was a blow, but if a keeper felt sorry for himself every time he lost a goal, we'd never play."