Portugal v Nigeria: Anyone can miss a penalty – Peseiro defends Dennis

Jose Peseiro has defended Emmanuel Dennis who has come under heavy criticism by fans and media after missing a penalty in Nigeria’s 4-0 heavy loss to Portugal in a friendly game on Thursday.

Emmanuel Dennis who was a second-half substitute in the friendly game at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon on Thursday took the ball to take the spot kick less than 4 minutes after coming on.

Paul Onuachu the designated taker at Genk was seeing telling Dennis to release the ball, and captain William Troost-Ekong also told him to drop the ball.

Coach Jose Peseiro was also seen shouting an instruction but Emmanuel Dennis refused all the warnings, took the spot kick, and missed it.

Emmanuel Dennis missed the penalty in the 81st minute and Nigeria missed the chance to reduce the scoreline to 2-1 and Goncalo Ramos and Joao Mario scored Portugal’s 3rd and 4th in the 82nd and 84th minutes.

But coach Jose Peseiro said anyone can miss a penalty and that it is his job to defend his players.

“One thing about that I speak to my players, in my national team, in my team, no one player can take the penalty.

“He missed the penalty he missed, okay next time he can train well and shoot the penalty.

“We need to defend our players, I need to defend our players which players don’t miss a penalty in the world until today.

“Every player can miss a penalty it was Dennis today okay, he has my perfection,” Peseiro said to NFFTV.