On Wednesday evening, Timo Werner produced a horrendous miss for Germany in their 2022 World Cup qualifier versus North Macedonia.Ilkay Gundogan found the Chelsea striker free in the penalty area, but Werner somehow managed to fluff his lines when it looked easier to score.The blunder quickly went viral on social media and many football fans believed that the miss would not be topped in 2021.However, it took just two days for someone to outdo Werner's woeful attempt.Step forward, Reading's Lucas Joao.In the 75th-minute of his team's 1-1 draw with Barnsley on Friday night, the Portuguese striker somehow failed to score when presented with the easiest of chances.
After his teammate cheekily snuck up behind Barnsley 'keeper Bradley Collins and won the ball, Joao had an open goal to aim at.He could have walked the ball in, but the 27-year-old bizarrely opted to aim for the far post and his effort trickled wide.The miss is undoubtedly one of the worst in history and it has to be seen to be believed.
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How is that even possible?!
We've seen some horrific misses in football, but it's genuinely tough to think of a worse one than Joao's.
Had he scored and secured a 2-1 victory for Reading, the Royals would have moved ahead of Barnsley in the Championship table - ouch.
After the game, manager Veljko Paunovic was asked to give his opinion on the shocking miss from his striker, with the Serbian refusing to throw Joao under the bus.
"We've been in this situation before - it's not the first time," he said, per GetReading. "It's about support and demanding to improve that and recover as soon as possible.
"The team needs him and everyone to be right and ready for Monday. There is no time for lamentations but we have to understand we have to convert opportunities like this.
"It's an individual approach for every player and I have a very good rapport with him. We talk about it and I let him express it and take it out.
"It's important to hear his emotions and get his feedback to see if there's something we hadn't seen. It's important to know what we can do to fix something to ensure these kind of things don't happen."