Former England and Chelsea captain John Terry has slammed the BBC for the coverage of Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty miss, labelling it a "disgrace".
During the electrifying Euro 2024 round of 16 tie, Ronaldo saw his critical spot-kick parried away by Slovenia's goalkeeper Jan Oblak at the end of the first half in extra-time. The usually steely Portuguese icon was left inconsolable before he regained composure to slot home during his country's penalty shootout win.
But afterwards, the BBC's choice of words sparked controversy, with a 'Misstiano Penaldo' graphic shown at the bottom of the screen during their post-match analysis of Ronaldo.
Terry, who too tasted the bitter sting of a missed penalty back in the 2008 Champions League final, took to Instagram to voice his disapproval with a terse message on Instagram: "BBC this is a disgrace".
Ronaldo himself reflected on the squandered chance post-match: "I could have given the national team the advantage, but I didn't manage it, Oblak saved," bemoaned the striker. "I didn't miss once during the year, when I needed it most Oblak saved.
"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 [in the shootout].
"Even the strongest people have their days, I was down and I was sad because the team needed me... I can't do it, I'll talk later, I'll talk later."
Porto's number one, Diogo Costa, emerged as Portugal's hero. While his counterpart Oblak managed to save a penalty during extra-time, it was Costa who turned hero in the shoot-out, thwarting Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbic with three magnificent saves.
"This is probably the best game of my life," an elated Costa remarked, as quoted by The BBC. "I am focused on doing what I had to do. I went with my gut feeling.
"Of course, we had analysed the penalty takers, but players change and they change how they shoot. I am very happy and very excited to have helped the team."
The victory sets up a tantalising quarter-final clash for Portugal against France, revisiting the scene of the 2016 final. This match offers Ronaldo a shot at redemption after a bittersweet experience in the previous encounter, where he was forced off injured only to see his side triumph courtesy of Eder's extra-time winner.
Earlier on Monday, France, who trailed Austria in their group, eked out a win over Belgium. It was a late stroke of luck that saw Randal Kolo Muani's mishit find the back of the net via a deflection off Jan Vertonghen, securing Les Bleus' passage to the next round.
