Barcelona goalkeeper’s record in saving penalties ahead of Spanish Super Cup semifinal

Joan Garcia stole the headlines after his performance in the Catalan derby, and rightfully so, given that he single-handedly took FC Barcelona to the win with his stunning display.

Tonight, the Blaugrana take on Athletic Club in the semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup, and there is a good possibility that a completely different skillset of Garcia will be tested.

After all, there is no extra time at the end of 90 minutes, and a draw will directly proceed to a penalty shootout, where Garcia will be up for his first shootout as a Barcelona goalkeeper.

Garcia’s penalty record

So far in his career in the first division, Garcia has stood up against penalties on eight occasions. Of them, he has stopped two and thus has a save percentage of 25%, a number that does not particularly stand out.

Joan Garcia has been brilliant for Barcelona. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Considering how the player taking the penalty has the inherent advantage in a spot-kick, that number is not too bad at all.

Of the eight penalties he has faced, six came during his time at Espanyol, of which he saved two. His saves came last season when he denied Vedat Muriqui of Mallorca and Ez Abde of Real Betis.

Playing for Barcelona, the goalkeeper has faced two penalties – against Levante and Real Betis. On both occasions, however, he was beaten, and the opposition went on to celebrate.

Should Barcelona fail to secure a winning advantage by the 90th minute tonight, Garcia will be put up against a massive challenge of carrying the team through to the next round with his goalkeeping.

Given that he is high on confidence and in great form of late, the 24-year-old will back himself to do so. After all, he has shown that he can shine under pressure – something that is not every player’s cup of tea.