Christian Benteke Apologises to Palace Teammates After Shocking Last Minute Penalty Fiasco

Crystal Palace's towering forward Christian Benteke has apologised to manager Roy Hodgson and his fellow teammates after selfishly taking on penalty duties for himself - despite the coach's instructions - missing the stoppage-time opportunity and costing the Eagles a vital three points against Bournemouth in the process.

The brawny Belgian wrestled the ball from allocated spot-kick taker Luka Milivojevic - who had already emphatically converted a first half penalty - to see his dismal effort comfortably saved by Asmir Begovic, as Palace drew 2-2 at Selhurst Park.

Instead of securing a vital three points for the South London outfit that could have lifted them out of the precarious relegation zone, the 27-year-old striker was booed off by the club's supporters on the final whistle, as they remain bottom of the Premier League table.

Hodgson has revealed that Benteke spoke to him on Monday morning and apologised for costing their side the lion's share of points on Saturday, before doing the same with his Palace teammates. The former England manager now considers the matter resolved, although the ex Reds' forward will certainly have to redeem himself with the Palace fans.

Speaking to ESPN, Hodgson revealed: "The first opportunity this morning, he gets the players around, says his piece. He's already said it to me - that's a strong and correct thing to do - and he makes it perfectly clear."

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Benteke made the admission: "I took this responsibility. I shouldn't have done because I'm breaking ranks, I'm not obeying team instructions, so I apologise for that but I'm now going to get on with it."

Hodgson continued, claiming:"I'm very happy with the way he's reacted to it, the way he's taken responsibility, the way he's explained that to the rest of the team, not just to myself.

"He's had the courage to talk in front of the team and explain his decision and apologise for not following the instructions."I'm happy with that, but I'm never happy when very clear instructions like that are given, and everyone knows they are there to be followed.

"There's no one more acutely aware of that than the player who's made [the mistake]. Sometimes you don't even need to mention it. What's the point of kicking someone when they're lying on the ground?

"What you hope for, when something like this happens, is that the player concerned does exactly what Benteke has done at the first real opportunity, which wasn't in the dressing room after the game.''