13-year-old Galatasaray player deliberately misses controversial penalty
Beknaz Almazbekov was captaining the club’s under-14 side and set a good example for his team-mates.
A Galatasaray youth player has received widespread praise for deliberately missing a controversially awarded penalty.
Beknaz Almazbekov was, who was captaining Gala’s under-14 side against Istanbulspor, was awarded the spot-kick after an apparent foul by a defender on the edge of the box.
Replays showed there was no contact, however, and opposition players protested vociferously.
Almazbekov, 13, clearly agreed with them as, stepping up to take the spot-kick himself, he fired it well wide of goal.
The gesture clearly impressed the Istanbulspor players, several of whom shook Almazbekov’s hand to show their appreciation.
And Almazbekov was praised for his sportsmanship from many online, including former England striker Gary Lineker, who responded with an applause emoji.
The incident made little difference to the overall result as Gala – who were 1-0 up at the time of the penalty miss – went on to win 2-0.
