FC Barcelona endured an unwanted La Liga milestone on Monday night after missing yet another penalty during their league clash with Girona FC.
The statistic came to light during their encounter at the Estadi Montilivi, where the two Catalan rivals were locked at 1-1 for much of the contest.
Pau Cubarsí had handed Barcelona an early advantage, but Girona responded through Thomas Lemar to level proceedings.
Yamal’s Miss Proves Costly
Barcelona had a golden opportunity to regain control late in the first half when they were awarded a penalty.
Teenage winger Lamine Yamal stepped up to take the spot-kick, but his effort struck the base of the post and bounced clear.
The miss ultimately proved significant, as Barcelona were unable to fully capitalise on their dominant spell and were later pegged back by the hosts. It also highlighted a growing concern for the Blaugrana from twelve yards this season.
An Unwanted Record
According to statistics released by Opta Sports, Barcelona now top an unfortunate La Liga chart.
“No other team has missed more penalties than Barcelona in La Liga this season (3/7, level with Valencia 3/5),” Opta reported.
The figures point to a recurring issue in front of goal, despite the team’s attacking fluency under head coach Hansi Flick.
While Barcelona remain firmly in the title race and continue to create numerous scoring opportunities, their struggles from the penalty spot have cost them valuable control in tightly contested matches.
