Watch – Barcelona captain concedes poor penalty in national team’s defeat | OneFootball

Ronald Araujo’s season continues to be difficult. The Barcelona defender began the campaign still recovering from a serious muscle injury, and since returning, he has not managed to regain his top form.

Hansi Flick tried to integrate him back into the Barça squad by giving him minutes in the lead-up to the decisive part of the season, but the captain has struggled to perform at his best – both for his club and for his national team.

Araujo’s performance against Inter Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza recently sparked a lot of criticism, but it was not just one match. In general, the 26-year-old ace appears to have lost confidence and explosiveness in defensive actions.

A similar situation occurred last night, as Uruguay lost 2-0 to Paraguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Araujo gives away a cheap penalty

Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa started Araujo alongside Jose Maria Gimenez in central defence, but the Barcelona defender was involved in one of Paraguay’s goals.

In the 81st minute, standing in his own penalty box, Araujo mishandled what seemed to be an innocuous ball from a teammate, and Paraguay’s Julio Enciso, pressing high, capitalised on the error.

As Enciso broke free towards the goal, he was brought down in the box by Araujo, with the referee having no hesitation in pointing towards the penalty spot. Paraguay converted it to make it 2-0 and secure an easy win over Uruguay.

Araujo self-critical

Speaking to the media after the game, Araujo insisted that the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for him and his team, saying (h/t SPORT):

“Bitter, we wanted the win. It’s clear that we didn’t play well, we didn’t play a good game and we lost.”

On a personal note, the Barcelona centre-back did not hide from his mistake that cost him the 2-0 penalty, as he said:

“Maybe I should have kicked it first time. I tried to play out and they were very high up. It’s things in football, and we have to think about Tuesday.”