Overview
- Barcelona’s Wojciech Szczesny saved Kylian Mbappé’s spot-kick in the 2-1 defeat at the Bernabéu, keeping his team in contention late on.
- Szczesny said he reviews the last 20 penalties of likely takers before matches and believed Mbappé would repeat his previous placement.
- He recalled facing a similar Mbappé penalty five months earlier, when he guessed correctly but could not reach the shot.
- Reporting cites Szczesny’s career record of 96 penalties faced and 21 saved, a 21.8% success rate in regulation play.
- With Joan García rehabbing from late-September meniscus surgery, Szczesny remains the starter as García trains daily and his exact return window remains uncertain.