"After Portugal had beaten England in the World Cup quarter-final in 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo was asked how he had looked so calm taking his penalty in the shootout when England's players appeared crushed by the occasion. For a moment he seemed baffled by the question, then he explained that those moments are what he lives for. Where others feel pressure, he sees opportunity."
"What, you wonder, did Brahim Diaz see during the Afcon final on Sunday? When his shoulder was tugged by El Hadji Malick Diouf and he collapsed, did he consider the consequences? When he howled in the face of the Democratic Republic of the Congo referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo as he waited for the verdict of the video assistant referee, did it occur to him he would take the penalty if it were given?"
"Perhaps if Diaz had taken it immediately, after Ngambo had reviewed the incident on the screen and pointed to the spot, adrenaline would have carried him through. But instead he had to wait 15 minutes as Senegal left the pitch in protest before Sadio Mane persuaded them to return. What went through his head then? Against Mali, he had sidefooted his penalty low to his left, as the goalkeeper, Djigui Diarra, went the other way."
Cristiano Ronaldo famously embraces high-pressure penalty moments, seeing opportunity where others feel pressure. Brahim Diaz experienced a tug from El Hadji Malick Diouf, collapsed, and appealed to the referee as VAR reviewed the incident. The referee reviewed the screen and pointed to the spot, but Senegal left the pitch in protest and delayed the restart for 15 minutes before Sadio Mane persuaded them to return. Diaz had earlier scored a low sidefooted penalty against Mali, which the Senegal goalkeeper might recall. After waiting amid uncertainty, Diaz elected to take a Panenka, attracting criticism for its risk in a decisive moment.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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