Chelsea striker Marc Guiu left Stamford Bridge stunned after producing an early contender for the worst miss of the season in the team’s 2-0 win over Servette in the first leg of their Conference League playoff.
After Christopher Nkunku had given Chelsea the lead from the penalty spot five minutes into the second half, Guiu dispossessed Servette goalkeeper Jérémy Frick moments later and, with nobody between him and the goal, looked certain to double the team’s advantage.
With virtually the entire goal to aim at, Guiu scuffed his shot and allowed Frick to get back and make a save – not that the Spanish striker’s shot was even on target.
To make matters worse, Guiu then failed to score with two follow-up attempts that came from his miss.
Despite Chelsea retaining possession and going on the attack again, Guiu sat hunched over in disbelief inside the penalty area.
Fortunately, 20 minutes later, Noni Madueke showed Guiu a prime example of finishing by hammering in an emphatic strike at the near post to give the Blues a commanding aggregate lead going into the second leg next Thursday in Switzerland.
“I said to him he probably doesn’t like easy goals, he likes difficult goals,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca joked of Guiu’s miss after the game. “For me, it’s normal. He’s very young, [born in] 2006, the youngest in the squad.
“The way he works off the ball, he runs a lot, he presses, it doesn’t matter, he is going to score for sure.”