Jim Haysom | This Is Your Life an internet professional in digital advertising

BBC own goal: World Cup live streaming gets a red card

What an awful way to watch a World Cup last 16 knockout game between Spain and Portugal earlier this week.  Read on to see how the BBC Sport website scored an own goal and deserve a red card of their own.

Banished to watch one of the most anticipated entertaining games in the tournament online, due to a viewing clash (most likely something on the Sky+ planner and the wife owning the remote control), I turned on the VAIO for some live action.

To set the scene, Spain are favourites to win, and with the neighbourly rivalry of Portugal and Ronaldo finally ending his goal drought, I was hoping to see some goals.

It was nearing the end of the match, 1-0 the scoreline to Spain with a David Villa goal on 63 minutes.  How exciting, it was closing in on full time, and if Portugal could pull a goal back it will most certainly go into extra time, and then secretly I was hoping for it to then go to penalties.

It's now 88 minutes into the game, and I'm not really paying much attention to the near-real-time commentary on the left or anywhere else on the page, I'm glued to the live stream.  Then suddenly, Juan Capdevila and Ricardo Costa start a tickle fight and all hell breaks loose.   Whilst the players start to heckle the referee, my eyes ponder around the 16.4 inch screen of mine.

OMG, the games already finished!!!!  I frantically search for the Sniping Tool and take the below screengrab.  Click the image to see the full picture.

It's not over until it is really over!

The live stream is way behind the actual game, at least 5 minutes.  Ricardo Costa has already been sent off, now likely back in the changing rooms, a substitution has taken place, extra time played out and the game has finished.  What the hell?!?!

With the score updated as FT and the commentary which updates every 30 seconds now showing it's game over for Portugal, I was immediately dejected and let down.  The excitement now fully drained away, along with Ronaldo's world cup dream.

This is not the type of online user experience I'd expect from the BBC.  Given that ITV HD had ballsed up with the 1st England goal, and EDF cocked up with a powercut in Richmond and Twickenham resulting in me missing England's 2nd goal, I really wanted to see some balls in the back of the net and not via a replay.

For this, BBC Sport you deserve a red card for this blatent own goal.  No excuses or claims for goal-line technology, this was a technological fail.