diff --git a/block.c b/block.c
index e3ba203d9f..5448430147 100644
--- a/block.c
+++ b/block.c
@@ -1158,6 +1158,7 @@ int bdrv_open_image(BlockDriverState **pbs, const char *filename,
                        bdref_key);
             ret = -EINVAL;
         }
+        QDECREF(image_options);
         goto done;
     }