Neymar has just taken one of the most tepid penalties that you're likely going to see all season.Paris Saint-Germain certainly had a tough challenge on their hands when they travelled to Nantes on Saturday night despite confidence remaining high on the back of the 1-0 win over Real Madrid.In fact, the French giants remarkably found themselves 3-0 down at half-time in the Ligue 1 clash with Randal Kolo Muani, Quentin Merlin and Ludovic Blas all scoring at the Beaujoire Stadium.
Nantes vs PSG
However, PSG have made a habit of dramatic goals in the league this season and it came to the surprise of absolutely nobody that they started to launch a comeback in the second 45 minutes.
And it was Neymar who started the fight back with some fine interplay with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, followed by some fancy footwork in the penalty area, culminating in a goal to bring things back to 3-1.
Then, just minutes later, the Brazilian superstar had the chance to elevate PSG to within one goal of drawing level when he assumed penalty-taking responsibilities on the back of Messi's miss in mid-week.
Neymar's horrendous penalty miss
However, Mauricio Pochettino's men once again disappointed from 12 yards with Neymar taking one of the most head-scratching penalty misses that we've come across in a long time.
The former Barcelona man assumed his typically showy and stuttery run-up before proceeding to deliver a shot so tame and central that it essentially looked as though he was passing it to the goalkeeper.
We can only assume that Neymar was waiting for the Nantes shot-stopper to dive early and panicked when there wasn't a flinch, but the result was disastrous either way, so be sure to check it out below:
Oh, Neymar, what were you thinking?
Fan reaction
Some fans think they would have been able to save Neymar's penalty.
One fan thought Neymar's penalty was worse than Zaha's.
One fan joked that Neymar's miss showed why Mbappe wants to leave.
It genuinely looked as though Neymar passed to the goalkeeper.
One fan claimed that Neymar's penalty vs Nantes was arrogance.
One fan joked that Neymar should be accused of match fixing.
PSG's Neymar took a truly dreadful penalty vs Nantes.
One of the most painful penalties in a long time
It's one thing to sky a penalty, hit the woodwork or even slip like Wilfried Zaha at Norwich City recently, but to produce a shot that was so straightforward for frankly anyone to save is just so painful.
Besides, while there have arguably been spot-kicks that have missed the mark by greater distances this season, we've not seen one that makes us cringe as much as Neymar's effort in a long time.
It's certainly one of those penalties that you can file under the 'they look good when they go in' title because a little like Panenkas, they make you look like a mug when they go wrong.
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Nantes v Paris St Germain - The Stade de la Beaujoire - Louis Fonteneau, Nantes, France - February 19, 2022 Paris St Germain's Neymar reacts REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
And that's exactly what happened to Neymar who - despite being one of the world's best penalty takers on his day - was left with egg on his face when PSG needed him to hold his nerve the most.
Surely, surely, surely, Mbappe has got to take PSG's next penalty based on this week's evidence...