Christian Benteke disobeyed orders, then missed a potential game-winning penalty
Christian Benteke missed what would have been a game-winning penalty in stoppage time of Crystal Palace’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Afterward, Roy Hodgson was not pleased.
But Hodgson wasn’t angry at Benteke’s miss. He was angry that Benteke, who hasn’t scored since May, was over the penalty in the first place. Because Benteke isn’t Crystal Palace’s designated penalty taker.
But Benteke refused to give up the opportunity to win the game from the spot, and Hodgson was in no mood to protect his player from criticism after the match. “It was a unilateral decision,” Hodgson said. “No one on our team was able to wrest the ball from him.”
“It’s fairly obvious what my thoughts on his decision are,” Hodgson continued. “We decided who the penalty takers are, and we don’t really expect players, during the course of the game, to change those decisions. But unfortunately we’re not on the pitch. Had it been a training session, we could’ve done something about it. But it was a Premier League game, and we were a long way from it. We tried to shout out instructions. They obviously didn’t get as far as the penalty spot.”
In fact, the stoppage-time penalty wasn’t Palace’s first of the game. Wilfried Zaha had won one in the first half, and central midfielder Luka Milivojevic calmly placed it in the top corner:
Milivojevic was still on the field in stoppage time, so there were only two possible explanations for why he didn’t take the second one. Some teams prefer not to have the same player take two penalties in the same game. The fear is the opposing goalkeeper’s increased familiarity. But the second reason is a striker disobeying orders. And, well, unless Hodgson is lying, which he has no reason to do, the latter appears to be the case.
Benteke’s teammates surely won’t be happy. The Belgian striker joined the club for a record fee two summers ago. He hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, and certainly not to begin his second season in London. He sunk to new depths on Saturday.
The final goal of the match turned out to be Jermain Defoe’s stunning half-volley from a Marco van Basten-esque angle just before halftime.
It’s a point won for Bournemouth, and two dropped for Crystal Palace, which remains in the relegation zone.
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Henry Bushnell covers global soccer, and occasionally other ball games, for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell.
