‘Misstiano Penaldo': Pundits slam BBC for belittling Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty miss
Former England football skipper John Terry and football fans across the globe have slammed the BBC for mocking Cristiano Ronaldo after he missed a crucial penalty in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2024 Round of 16 clash against Slovenia on July 1. During their match-analysis show, the BBC labelled Ronaldo's miss with a tag that read "Misstiano Penaldo". This has angered and received backlash from fans and former greats alike, who have in turn called the antics by the channel "disgraceful".
Ronaldo was left in tears after failing to convert from the spot and give his side the lead in what had been an end-to-end thriller at the Frankfurt Arena on Tuesday.Ronaldo experienced a tough match, squandering multiple chances, including the missed spot-kick, which then saw him getting comforted and consoled by his teammates. Portugal was granted the penalty late in the first half of extra time after Diogo Jota's powerful run into the box was halted illegally by defender Vanja Drkusic, who, already on a yellow card, was fortunate not to receive a second one.
John Terry shared an Instagram story slamming BBC for their antics. (Photo: Instagram/ John Terry)
Ronaldo's shot was expertly saved by Slovenia's Jan Oblak, who deflected the ball onto the post. Slovenia's airtight defence hardly let Portugal's star-studded attack line cause any trouble throughout the course of 90 minutes of regulation time, and then in extra-time. However, Portugal finally had the last laugh whengoalkeeper Diogo Costa savedall three of Slovenia's penalties in the shoot-out, sending his side to the quarter-final with a 3-0 win.
After the match, Ronaldo addressed the emotions which he went through after the penalty miss, and how he eyes to bounce back from the same in their upcoming matches in Euro 2024.
" I could have given the national team the advantage, but I didn't manage it, Oblak saved. I didn't miss once during the year, when I needed it most Oblak saved," Ronaldo said.
"It's a feeling of sadness and joy at the same time, but the most important thing is the progress, the team deserved it. Slovenia spent almost the entire time defending, the team deserves congratulations, especially our goalkeeper who made three good saves," Ronaldo added.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal now have an even tougher task on their hands with their Euro 2024 quarter-final clash coming against Kylian Mbappe's France on July 6.