Lionel Messi might be exhaling fire this season but his form from the spot kicks does not justify it. He missed another penalty on Wednesday to extend his disappoint run to 3 misses from 6 attempts—something not good enough for any player, forget about one of the greatest players.
This time it costed his team though, unlike on previous other occasions. Oscar Melendo’s late goal sealed a 1-0 victory for Espanyol in the first leg of the quarterfinals of Copa del Rey and handed Barcelona their first defeat since August.
Barcelona travelled to RCDE Stadium with a 29-game unbeaten streak—a run that has seen them get 19 points lead over their arch rivals Real Madrid in la liga—but Espanyol had different plans.
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Diego Lopez saved Lionel Messi’s penalty kick and other strikers failed to leave up to the expectations as well.
Barca dominated throughout the match but super sub Melendo found the net in the 88th minute, as the visitors suffered their first defeat since their Supercopa de Espana losses to Real Madrid.
Melendo, 20, came on as a second-half substitute and picked the right time to score his first senior goal for the other Barcelona-based club.
The midfielder’s neat finish made way for Espanyol to celebrate their first derby victory over Barca in all competitions since February 2009, when they beat their city rivals 2-1 at Camp Nou in La Liga.