Cristiano Ronaldo's 'special' penalty against PSG should never have stood, claims Graham Poll

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Jack Rosser @JackRosser_15 February 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 'special' volleyed penalty against Paris Saint-Germain should not have stood, according to former referee Graham Poll.

After Adrien Rabiot had put the Ligue 1 leaders in front at the Bernabeu, Toni Kroos was brought down in the box on the stroke of half time.

Ronaldo stepped up and scored his 100th Champions League goal for the Galacticos, though there was something a little more special about the strike. As the Portuguese planted his standing foot, the impact on the turf caused the ball to pop up moments before he struck it into the bottom corner.

While former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand claimed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner used to practice such a move in training, retired official Poll claims it should not have stood.

“TV replays showed that the ball moved just before Cristiano Ronaldo struck the equalising penalty,” Poll told the Daily Mail.

“You cannot blame the officials for missing it, as it would have been almost impossible to spot in real time.

“But with the benefit of slow-motion replays, we can see that the ball bobbled up as Ronaldo planted his left foot, before slamming it home with his right.

“The ball must be stationary when a penalty is struck so, had the referee spotted it, the kick would have been retaken.”

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