It was a situation that the BBC didn’t hold back on when Cristiano Ronaldo missed his spot-kick in Portugal’s Euro 2024 last-16 clash against Slovenia. Roberto Martinez’s side sealed a quarterfinal spot on Monday night as they ground out a 3-0 win on penalties following a tightly contested affair at the Dusseldorf Arena.
Despite Ronaldo helping his country over the line, the BBC decided to brand him ‘Misstiano Penaldo’ in a graphic during their television coverage.
The jibe has raised eyebrows across the country, with many viewers – including John Terry on his Instagram storyline – calling out the British public service broadcaster.
Speaking to reporters after the closely fought tie, Martinez heaped praise on Ronaldo for his resilience.
“First and foremost I think he is a constant example for us, the only player that has ever played in six European Championships,” said the Portugal boss. “He is happy taking that responsibility and has got that belief.”.
“I thanked him [afterwards] for being the way he is, for caring for the group. I was certain that he would be the first penalty taker and show us the way to take victory. I think we’re all very proud of our captain.”.
“Our dressing room was all delighted. I think he gave us all a lesson. Life and football gives you difficult moments and the way he reacted shows why we are so proud in Portuguese football.”
Ronaldo added: “Portugal deserved it because we had more authority. Slovenia spent almost the entire game defending … it’s very difficult and the whole team is to be congratulated, especially our goalkeeper”.
Then, Oblak, who could not deny Ronaldo at the second time of asking, said: “We had opportunities to score, but we probably were lacking a bit of fortune. In the end, Portugal has deservedly won. Congratulations to them.”.