Bukayo Saka missed a golden opportunity to put Arsenal ahead in a crucial UEFA Champions League match at the Santiago Bernabéu, as his penalty was saved by Thibaut Courtois. Early in the game, when Arsenal was awarded a penalty, their star winger stepped up but delivered a weak attempt.

Saka attempted a Panenka-style penalty, which could have given Arsenal a 1-0 lead and possibly sealed their progression. However, Courtois guessed correctly and saved the shot, sending the Bernabéu into celebrations.

Real Madrid, needing to overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first leg, prevented Arsenal from scoring early. Criticism quickly turned toward Saka, who missed one of football’s biggest moments. This comes after Saka recently returned from a long injury and scored in the previous match against Fulham, but his weak penalty strike dented Arsenal’s hopes of reaching the semifinals.

Arsenal fans were shocked by Saka’s penalty miss. One fan wrote: “What was Saka thinking?” Another added: “No, Saka is getting on my nerves!” A third said: “Saka, you can’t be this thoughtless. You really can’t!“

Former Arsenal defender Matthew Upson, analyzing the match for BBC, added: “I really can’t believe Saka chose that kind of penalty. I was shocked. It was a terrible penalty. He chipped it straight where Courtois dived.“