Peru’s Christian Cueva earned his team a penalty kick in the closing minutes of the first half against Denmark in their Group C match on Saturday, a penalty that was at first not called. Referee Bakary Gassama waited a few moments after what appeared to be a clear foul, then went to video replay review, and awarded Peru the penalty.
Peru’s Christian Cueva goes full Roberto Baggio, blasts penalty kick into space
Hoo boy he sure missed that one.
Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Then Cueva stepped up, did a few stutter steps, and kicked the ball into the parking lot.
Hoo baby:
Almost everyone, after they were doing laughing at poor Cueva, compared the kick to the infamous final penalty kick of the 1994 World Cup final, taken by Italy’s Roberto Baggio. Both missed in almost the exact same spot.
I’d argue Cueva’s was a bit tougher of a miss, considering he took that run up before he kicked the ball to the moon. But Cueva, who was one of my picks for breakout stars of the World Cup, is just 26 years old, and it was his beautiful move to win that penalty. I hope he doesn’t let it get to him too much, and comes back and kicks ass in the second half.
His teammates and the fans were there to support him after the miss:
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