Wojciech Szczesny was warned his “contract will be torn up” after clattering with Alejandro Balde in a comical mix up leading to a Benfica goal.
The incident occurred just 21 minutes into the game when a lofted through ball from Benfica defender Nicolas Otamendi caused chaos in Barcelona’s defensive ranks.
Szczesny rushed out of his goal to clear the danger, only to collide clumsily with Balde, who had intercepted the ball first.
The mix-up between gifted Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis a golden opportunity and he slotted the ball into an empty net to restore his team’s lead at 2-1.
As if the earlier blunder wasn’t bad enough, Szczesny found himself in trouble again just minutes later.
In the 28th minute, the goalkeeper fouled Pavlidis inside the penalty area, leading to another disastrous moment.
The striker calmly converted the resulting penalty to complete his hat-trick and extend Benfica’s advantage to 3-1.
What The Fans Were Saying
Barcelona fans slammed the Polish keeper on X for the costly mishap.
@hazfcb_ wrote: “Mentally Szczesny is still on some beach with his wife.”
@LyesBouzidi10 suggested: “They might terminate Szczesny’s contract at halftime. This is self-sabotage of the highest calibre😭.”
@FCB_AH10 added: “People used to complain about Ter Stegen. Hope you‘re happy with Szczesny.”
A shocked @tempocontroller wrote: “Szczesny just ran out to attack balde wtf😭😭.”
While @Ozzytok10 wrote: “Szczesny’s given them the cheapest goal you will ever see and nearly injured Balde in the process too 🤦♂️.”
@NealGardner_ wrote: “That was on Szczesny, made absolutely no sense to come out and put himself in that position, so stupid. First the red, now this…”
Read more: De Zerbi Takes Aim At The Media Over Refereeing Decisions
With defensive lapses proving costly, Hansi Flick will need to regroup his squad quickly before hosting Atalanta in their final Champions League group stage encounter on January 29.
Before that, the Catalans have a La Liga assignment against Valencia on Sunday.
Can Man City Make EPL Top 4 This Season ? | Vox POP
