VIEWERS were hilariously comparing England star Harry Maguire to Boris Johnson after he somehow escaped punishment for “a rugby tackle” tonight.
The bizarre moment came in the 25th minute of the Euro qualifier between North Macedonia and England.
Harry Maguire was compared to Boris Johnson after he ‘got away with one’ against North Macedonia
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The star sent Elif Elmas tumbling with a ‘rugby tackle’ after he lost his footing
The referee deemed that Maguire’s challenge was not worthy of a penalty
But it was hilariously compared to Boris Johnson’s tackle on Maurizio Gaudino in 2006
The hosts were yelling for a penalty with the score tied after Elif Elmas fell down due to a careless challenge from the Manchester United defender.
The Three Lions player immediately gestured to the referee, claiming that Elmas had turned the incident into a joke. Luckily, the authority gave his consent.
Fans started equating Maguire with the former prime minister as soon as it appeared that his studs had become stuck in the turf and caused him to slip.
In 2006, Johnson participated in a well-known charity game at Madejski Stadium and made what many considered to be the “worst tackle ever”.
While playing for England Legends against their German opponents, Maurizio Gaudino, a former Manchester City loanee, slipped and ended up headbutting him in the genitalia.
And viewers of this evening’s game were quick to see the similarities between that and Maguire’s challenge.
“Maguire turning in to Boris Johnson on the field,” declared one on social media.
Another said the United ace was “channelling his inner Boris”.
“Boris Maguire playing well today,” wrote a fellow fan, as another wrote: “Nice to see Maguire taking tips from Boris on how to tackle.”
And a fellow viewer asked: “How is that not a penalty from Harry Boris Maguire?”
Former England goalkeeper Rob Green told BBC 5 Live: “Harry Maguire has got away with two mistakes there.
“Firstly he gives the ball away and then when he tries to recover he is completely out of control, he just loses his footing and falls into Elmas.
“It almost looked like he stumbled on the pitch.”
Despite getting away with that one, North Macedonia were awarded a penalty shortly before the end of the first half..
Rico Lewis went for a header but, with both eyes on the ball, caught Bojan Miovski with a flailing arm to the face.
After a VAR check, a penalty was given, but Enis Bardhi’s shot was saved by Jordan Pickford, allowing the forward to react quickly and score off the rebound.