Before going to sleep, Monday evening, after the championship match against Valencia, Ante Budimir must certainly have played over the penalty he took at the very end of the match. While his Osasuna team was trailing at home (0-1) by Valencia, the Rojillos obtained a penalty following a foul by Hugo Guillamon in the 93rd minute on the Croatian and a VAR check.
Enough to exult the El Sadar stadium which had seen its players hit more than ten times on goal without ever scoring, showing great clumsiness in front of the Valencia goal. When Ante Budimir appears in front of Mamardashvili, the Valencia goalkeeper, the spectators hold their breath. But this evening had to end without a single goal from Osasuna. After his run-up, Budimir arms with his left foot and pauses slightly just before hitting the ball.
As a result, the Croatian tripped over the green carpet and could only hit the bottom of the ball without any force. The penalty turns into a very small spiked ball that the Valencia goalkeeper has no trouble catching with both hands. Osasuna’s top scorer this season will therefore not score the 17th goal which would have allowed him to be joint top scorer in La Liga with Gironese Dovbyk.
But this missed penalty will have no impact on the Pamplona club, stuck in the soft underbelly of the ranking. Above all, it allows Valencia to leave with three important points in the race for European places.
