Rio Ferdinand told Match of the Day on BBC One that Tottenham goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, was acting like he was in ‘UFC’ after he gave away a penalty at Euro 2020.
The Tottenham man started in between the sticks as France recorded an entertaining 2-2 draw against Portugal on Wednesday during the final group games of the tournament
But life didn’t start off in a strong fashion for Lloris yesterday, because before the fixtures for the knockout stages could be decided, he opted to produce a knockout moment of his own when he punched Portugal’s Danilo flesh in the head after missing the ball following a cross.
It was a clear penalty, and as per, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and opened the scoring for his side.
Back in the studios, Ferdinand claimed Lloris’ actions were ‘crazy’, as he likened it to UFC.
“That’s GBH,” said Ferdinand. “It’s UFC. They (goalkeepers) are like a protected species, aren’t they?
“So, I was quite pleased to see that given (as a penalty) because I thought it was dangerous and reckless. And the penalty was definitely the right decision.
“This was crazy. I don’t see any doubt in that being a penalty. He’s not in full control of his body and when you’re in that situation, the speed in which you come out, it’s like a punch in a UFC fight.”
In the end, that error from Lloris didn’t prove to be costly as France topped ‘the group of death’.
At one point, it looked like Hungary, who were expected to be the whipping boys in a group containing France, Portugal and Germany, were going to go through.
They led on two occasions against the German’s, who managed to salvage a draw and now book themselves a Wembley ticket to face England next Tuesday.
Cue ‘Football’s Coming Home’ and then probably losing a penalty shootout defeat!
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
