The 'maximum penalty' that has persecuted Raúl de Tomás since April

With a shot on Dragan Rosic, which opened the Espanyol's win against Fuenlabrada (4-0), certified Raúl de Tomás last April 1 what was going to be his last penalty goal for at least one good season. Little could the Espanyol forward imagine that he would fail three in a row in the next three days, that he would end up giving the ball to another teammate, and that his ineffectiveness would even carry over to the current campaign.

Before him Vallecano Ray, in the preseason friendly played this Saturday at the Marbella Football Center, De Tomás scored his fourth consecutive maximum penalty, which he gave to Luca Zidane – the son of the coach who ran Real Madrid when the striker left, two summers ago. Far from this anecdote, and that it was a preparation match, the lack of aim from 11 meters of who was the 'top scorer' of Second last season is surprising, able, for example, to score a goal from his own field.

After that goal at the RCDE Stadium against Fuenlabrada, Raúl de Tomás chained missed penalties against Albacete, Leganés and Almería in just two weeks, to the point that on the following day, when Espanyol again decreed a maximum penalty in favor of a hand from Eric Curbelo, Against Las Palmas, he directly gave the ball to Adrián Embarba. It was useless that the significance of another error had been very relative, since the parrots were already winning at that time 3-0.

The streak signed by De Tomás, although the friendly this Saturday is discounted, is very unusual in his career, whether in First or Second. Before signing for Espanyol, he had failed only two of the 13 that he had had with Rayo (he converted four), Valladolid (three) and Córdoba (two). That is I was only wasting 15 percent. Last season, with three out of seven failed, increased to 43 percent. However, in a year and a half at Espanyol he has already transformed more penalties than at any other team: five. That is the way.