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Karim Benzema has missed four penalties this season—and two of them came within seven minutes of each other Wednesday.
Real Madrid won its fourth straight league match with a 3–1 win at Osasuna to extend its La Liga lead to 17 points, but it mostly did so without the precision of Benzema.
After a handball in the penalty area in the 51st minute, Osasuna keeper Sergio Herrera guessed correctly, diving to his right and stopping Benzema’s chance.
In the 59th minute, after Rodrygo forced another penalty, Benzema failed to double the Real lead for the second time. Pointing in the opposite direction, Herrera dove low and to his right in a save that was almost identical to the first.
Wednesday was only the second time in the last 11 games that Benzema had been held without a goal. During that same stretch, the French international has scored 15 goals, including two consecutive Champions League hat tricks.
In the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, Benzema’s 17-minute hat trick turned around a 2–0 aggregate deficit to send PSG spiraling out of the Champions League.
The 34-year-old forward followed that up with a 25-minute hat trick against Chelsea in the first leg of the quarterfinal, and added the extra-time winner in the second leg.
Next up for Benzema and Real will be a trip to Manchester City on Tuesday in the Champions League semifinal first leg.
