MARTINS MISSES PENALTY

MARTINS MISSES PENALTY

Posted: May 31, 2013

 Nigeria forward, Obafemi Martins missed a potential game-tying penalty kick in the 86th minute as Seattle Sounders crashed out of the US Open Cup,losing 1-0 to the North American Soccer League's Tampa Bay Rowdies in the third round Wednesday.

After an uneventful first 75 minutes, Rowdies forward Georgi Hristov gave the Rowdies a surprise lead, cleaning up a rebound off the hands of Sounders goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, putting Seattle behind by a goal.
Desperate to force extra time, the Sounders pushed forward, inserting Martins into the game, and nearly got their equalizing goal.

 Tampa Bay defender Jordan Gafa, standing on the goal line after Restrepo had been caught out of position, blocked a shot with his hands.
Gafa was issued an immediate red card for the infraction and gave the Sounders a penalty kick, but, crucially, he had kept the ball out of the net, preserving the Rowdies' lead.

Martins shot his ensuing penalty low and to the left, but Restrepo guessed correctly and saved the shot in the 86th minute.

"I just put it where I put it and the goalkeeper was there," Martins said. "What can I say? I tried to score and I didn't. ... We needed a goal so bad and we tried to score. We had the penalty and we lost." --------------------- Complete Sports