Stefan Ortega was standing on the edge of his penalty area watching another Manchester City attack when he heard a familiar sound from behind him.
The 30-year-old was making just his third appearance for City, but his man-of-the-match display in the Carabao Cup third-round win against Chelsea was enough to earn a chant from the supporters behind his goal.
"When I listened to the crowd and thought ‘oh, that’s my name’, I was starting to smile a little bit. It was a good feeling and a good sign I think, that means I made a good game," Ortega tells the Manchester Evening News the day after his impressive display.
READ MORE: Guardiola hails 'exceptional' Ortega performance
Ortega made five saves to thwart Chelsea, who managed an xG of 1.9 but couldn't get past the German goalkeeper, who received congratulations from Ederson and Scott Carson as he returned to the home dressing room.
A free transfer arrival in the summer after leaving Arminia Bielefeld, Ortega's introduction at City has been impressive and it's not just his saves that have been vital.
In his three starts in the last six games, the quality of his passing, his ability to sweep behind a high line and his decision-making under pressure have all been excellent.
So good was he on Wednesday that the general view was he's almost too good to be a No. 2 goalkeeper. Few clubs in European football can have a more suitable backup goalkeeper than City have with Ortega.
But when he gave up the role of first-choice goalkeeper at a club that were relegated from the Bundesliga last season to join City, he was well aware of what that involved.
"It was clear before, the club told me they searched for a goalkeeper who tries to push Edi and tries to improve and is ready when the time is coming to play. This situation for me is to improve every day, show my best performance, that’s the target," he said.
"There’s so much quality in a training session, even with the goalkeeping coaches I learned so much new stuff, I’m a better ‘keeper than the summer."
There is no substitute for playing games, however, and Ortega has been rejuvenated for starting three of City's last six fixtures. The Champions League games against Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla and Wednesday's Carabao Cup triumph have given him focus and goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor had been keeping him ready for this period of the season.
"It was really important for me to get some games, the time before you train without a target on the weekend, so it was a bit difficult," said Ortega.
"But Xabi told me every time ‘keep going, keep going, at the end of October and the beginning of November there are some games where you can play'. I was really happy to play the three games, especially the two Champions League games."
Ortega is speaking to the MEN less than an hour after Germany's 26-man World Cup squad was named. After being on standby for last summer's European Championship, he again missed the final cut this time around but was well aware when he moved to City to start off as a No. 2 that he was making his international ambitions harder to achieve.
He is a late bloomer, even for a goalkeeper. He was still only appearing occasionally in Germany's second division up until the start of the 2017/18 season. That campaign marked his 26th birthday and was the moment he finally established himself as a first-choice at Bielefeld and he developed the approach that marked him out to City's recruitment team as an ideal goalkeeper for Pep Guardiola.
"He likes it when the goalkeeper is good in the build-up, but he told me ‘at the end, your job is to save balls’," Ortega said of his new manager.
"You can be the best footballer, but when you have slippy hands then you’re at fault in your job. He wants the full package, good shot stopper and good with the feet."
Ortega describes his career as "not typical" and although his club were relegated last season, it was a bold move to accept life as a No. 2 at the age of 30.
But he is relishing working with Ederson and Carson, of whom Ortega says: " For me he [Carson] was a big help in the beginning. He’s a top guy, also a top keeper. In this age, with his mentality, it’s really insane, he’s a really good guy."
For now, it is Ederson who remains the undisputed No. 1 at City, but he has competition from Ortega in more ways than one.
The Brazilian has often been told he would be good enough to play in midfield but his understudy is now rivalling him for his quality as an outfield player, although the chances to venture out have been few and far between in training.
"Not that much, it’s more about shot stopping, crosses, finding the right position. To play football is inside of me and the other ‘keepers, it’s more important to train in the positioning process and shooting," he said.
And what about penalties? Ederson has made it clear he would love to take on for City, although the arrival of Erling Haaland might have put an end to that possibility.
City haven't yet practised penalties this season, so Ederson and Ortega haven't been called into action, but the No. 2 is just as happy to step up from 12 yards as the No. 1.
"We didn’t practice yet, but when the situation is there and I have to shoot, I think I will shoot, yes," Ortega said with a smile.
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