Reading fell short to 10-man Wycombe Wanderers in a disappointing affair that saw Lucas Joao miss another penalty. The game finished 1-0 to the hosts, who are currently sat rock-bottom of the table.

Despite taking twice as many shots (18) as Wycombe (nine), Reading were unable to find the back of the net over the course of the 90 minutes. The game saw two penalties, one for either side, that were both missed; Joao struck the crossbar from 12 yards following Ryan Tafazolli’s dismissal with 20 minutes left to play. 

READ MORE: Paunovic on performance, team selection, subs, penalty woes and recent form

Reading dominated possession, with an impressive 68.3 per cent and finished with a significantly higher pass success rate (74 per cent) than their opposition (51 per cent). However, this was still lower than in the 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough at the Mad Stad on the weekend (78 per cent) and both games ended in defeat. 

Young Tom McIntyre was guilty of conceding a late spot-kick, which was subsequently missed by Uche Ikpeazu, who was unable to add insult to injury for Veljko Paunovic’s side in the dying minutes. 

Despite his mistake, the academy graduate took over 25 touches more than any other player on the field at Adams Park (78) and won the most aerial duels of anyone too (eight), followed by Royals captain Liam Moore (seven), upon his return.

READ MORE: Reading FC fans unlikely to return to the Madejski this season

Joao struggled to make any real impact on the game, failing to register a single shot on target; the Portuguese forward was also adjudged to have controlled the ball poorly more than any other Reading player against Wycombe, with five poor touches earning him his lowest match rating of the season (5.64).

Fans have argued that Rafael could be held accountable for the sole goal of the game, with the keeper seemingly slow to react and pounce on the ball, but his late penalty save reflected well as the Brazilian shot-stopper ranked as Reading’s highest performer at Adams Park (7.48).

Michael Olise was a shadow of his usual self in a sub-par team performance; however, the French prospect still completed the most key passes and crosses (six) on the pitch and won the Royals five free-kicks (1st).

Royals are away to struggling Rotherham United this Saturday (3pm ko) before facing Blackburn Rovers at the Madejski Stadium next Tuesday.