Middlesbrough defender Jonathan Woodgate has backed up Cristiano Ronaldo’s assertion that he did not dive to win the penalty that jettisoned Middlesbrough from the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Monday (March 19).
Ronaldo tumbled to the turf after faint contact from the centre-half as he sprinted to the byline with 15 minutes of the sixth-round tie remaining, the second spot-kick he has won against Boro this season and a fall that enraged members of the visitors’ backroom staff.
“It was a decision which went against us but Cristiano Ronaldo is clever,” said Woodgate. “It’s not nice to be beaten 1-0 by a penalty, but I don’t think Ronaldo dived so you can’t put the blame on him. Ronaldo is a fantastic player. There is a touch of genius in him and he lights up the Premiership. I’ve no idea if it was a penalty or not. I couldn’t honestly tell myself. I’ll have to see it again and then I’ll judge it.”
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