Galatasaray youth misses penalty on purpose

The young player received praise for his act of sportsmanship.

Galatasaray youngster Beknaz Almazbekov made headlines in Turkey with his deliberate penalty miss during an Under 14 fixture between Galatasaray and Istanbulspor which took place earlier this week.

The 13-year-old, who is the captain of the Under 14 side, was awarded a penalty after he was brought down by an Istanbulspor defender in the opposing team’s penalty box.

Even though the referee pointed to the penalty spot, Almazbekov felt it was the wrong call.

The Kyrgzstan-born player stepped up to take the penalty but intentionally kicked the ball out of play.

Despite being presented with the opportunity to double his side’s lead, who were 1-0 up prior to the penalty, the honest youngster was applauded by the fans of both teams.

Galatasaray’s Under 14 side went on to defeat Istanbulspor 3-0.