Wigan Athletic knocked out of Carabao Cup after penalty shootout against Barnsley

The score was level 1-1 after 90 minutes, as Thelo Aasgaard slotted home from the spot just beyond the half hour mark to open the scoring, before Donovan Pines equalised from a corner just minutes into the second half.

And Barnsley’s Gabriel Slonina was the hero on his debut, denying Aasgaard and Josh Stones to help his side through to the next round of the competition.

Both clubs began their respective League One campaigns with home losses, Wigan going down 1-0 to Charlton a day after the Tykes fell to a 2-1 result to newly-promoted Mansfield Town.

Shaun Maloney made two changes to his squad, with Calvin Ramsay and James Carragher replacing Steven Sessegnon and Jason Kerr.

Sam Tickle’s first piece of real action came just beyond the 20 minute mark, with the 22-year-old pushing Barry Cotter’s free-kick wide, with Carragher booked for the challenge.

A chance soon followed for Latics, with Slonina denying Joe Hugill following a driving run from halfway into the box.

The deadlock was however broken on 34 minutes after Ramsay was brought down in the box by Vimal Yoganathan on just his second senior appearance, with Norway Under-21 international Aasgaard converting the chance to score Wigan’s first goal of the 2024/25 campaign.

Aasgard should have doubled his and Wigan’s tally inside the opening minute of the second half, and having his close-range effort blocked by Slonina, Barnsley punished Maloney’s men just moments later as defender Pines powered home a header from a corner

There was almost an instant reply from Latics, but Hugill couldn’t connect with the ball after Dion Rankine squared a ball across the box having broke forward down the right, while Carragher had a good chance from a Luke Chambers free-kick just minutes later.

Summer signing Silko Thomas was introduced from the bench on the hour mark as part of a triple change, with Scott Smith and Stones also entering the action.

Neither side were able to find a winner, with Tykes man Max Watters going closest with his last-minute effort which was cleared off the line.

But after the shootout heroics of Slonina, the visitors navigated their way through the opening round.