Piers Morgan is furious! He lashes out at the BBC for unfairly criticizing Cristiano Ronaldo despite his goal that helped Portugal reach the Round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup.
On 3 July 2026, renowned presenter Piers Morgan fiercely criticized the BBC's live coverage, arguing that the commentators treated Cristiano Ronaldo unfairly during the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 match, in which Portugal narrowly defeated Croatia 2-1.
In that match, 41-year-old Ronaldo scored a penalty to equalize in the 68th minute and had another goal disallowed for offside. He was later named man of the match. However, during the broadcast, Stephen Warnock, former England defender and BBC analyst, said substituting Ronaldo was tactically the right decision despite his goal.
Warnock said, "He (Ronaldo) was unhappy, very unhappy. Setting aside his name, it was the correct decision. Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t impact the game enough. Yes, he scored from the penalty spot, but there was no teamwork or pressure on opponents from him. For the team’s benefit, that’s what Roberto Martinez had to consider. You look at the bigger picture."
After the match, Piers Morgan posted on X that "BBC commentators spent most of the game criticizing Ronaldo and calling for his substitution, even though he scored and had another goal ruled out for offside." He added that such criticism was unfair to Ronaldo.
In the Round of 16, Portugal will face Spain at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday, 7 July, at 02:00 Thai time.