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Jan Oblak carries an old stigma that has accompanied him since the 2016 Champions final. That harsh night he failed to intuit any of the six Real Madrid shots in the penalty shoot-out and was marked as a harmless goalkeeper in that fate.

A little over a year ago, in the outcome of the Spanish Super Cup, in Saudi Arabia, again against Madrid, he was not fine either.

And yet, two of the most iconic images in his long history at Atlético have come from 11 meters.

The first, in hell at the Allianz Arena in Munich, after repelling a blow from

Thomas Müller

, served as a passport to the Milan final.

The second, just yesterday, against Alavés, guessing

Joselu's

intention

, could be worth a league.

In a couple of months it will be known.

From the last penalty saved by Oblak, almost three years had passed.

It was on an afternoon in May 2018, at the Alfonso Pérez Coliseum, days before the Europa League final, when the Slovenian goalkeeper scared off

Fajr's

shot

that would have made it 1-1.

Since then, beyond a couple of a couple of errors by others (Sandro and Falcao), he has always seen how the ball dribbled him.

In Ipurua, for example, when his colleague

Dmitrovic

was emboldened

, the first and only guard he has faced face to face.

Since that afternoon in Getafe, 12 times he has been mocked, including a recent one at Wanda against Müller.

Things of destiny.

The fact is that Oblak, with the League at stake, returned to face

Joselu

, the same one who had beaten him in June, at the end of last season, looking for his left side.

He got the direction right, but couldn't deflect the ball.

Nor was it any drama because it happened in discount and with 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Yesterday he had his revenge.

The red-and-white plot of the Slovenian on penalties began in January 2015, with a stop to

Leo Messi

at the Camp Nou, during the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.

The Argentine, yes, ended up sending the net after the goalkeeper's rejection.

Since then, Oblak has repelled seven more attempts.

Two in the Champions League and six in the League.

Of the 20 remaining since he landed at Atlético, 18 ended up inside and two were missed by the executors, perhaps intimidated by the Balkan's plant.

Maybe something like this happened, for example, to

Falcao

, during his visit to the Metropolitan with Monaco (2018).

This, translated into percentages, argues that Jan, now the rojiblanco's second captain, has stopped 28.5% of the penalties he has received.

As the Atlético Stats account (@atletico_stats) collects, for comparison,

Ter Stegen

looks 20% (9/45) and

Courtois

11% (4/37).

"The batch is more complicated to handle"

However, the percentage plummets when Oblak is immersed in a penalty shoot-out.

In fact, he has only saved one shot in the four he has lived at Atlético (Bayer, PSV Eindhoven and two against Real Madrid).

This is: 1/23 for a bare four percent effectiveness.

It was in 2015, against Leverkusen, responding to a shot by the center of the Turk

Çalhanoglu

.

In the final of the Europa League that

Benfica

played in Munich against Sevilla, he had not been able to clear any of the four he received either.

Since he turned pro, he has only repelled two out of 32. As if his eyesight were clouded in batches.

"In a match you have detailed studies of the possible shooters, but in a round you do not have so much information. It is more complicated to handle," says former rojiblanco goalkeeper

Leo Franco

, who had the opportunity to experience a penalty shoot-out with

EL MUNDO.

Atlético, during the Intertoto final against

Villarreal

(2004).

"I don't think the psychological issue has anything to do with it because Oblak is an elite athlete and is used to these situations. We are talking about a star in world football. It is, above all, a matter of study and statistics," he concludes the Argentinian.

It is clear that Oblak's success from that distance, beyond the batches, is no coincidence.

Pablo Vercellone

, Simeone's goalkeeping coach,

knows this

well

, and has been working with him since he arrived.

"Penalties are something that nobody understands very well. Sometimes you stop a lot. Three seasons ago I stopped three of four in the League (season 17/18). Lately I had not stopped any, but I was lucky," the goal summed up to 'Movistar '.

Thanks to him, Atlético breathes something calmer in this break.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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