Definite penalty.

I can see why the defender challenges the way he does, the striker's behavior wasn't as I would have expected - when Ronaldo heads the ball down I am surprised the striker doesn't adjust and head the ball on target first time, I think this is what the defender anticipates and puts a challenge in, unfortunately he get's it wrong and the striker controls the ball, clearly looking for the penalty.

The ref gets it right, the striker has done the right thing and the defender ends up looking clumsy.

I believe he stopped talking a while back.

Great call by the ref, would have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch.

It was a bit soft but contact was made and it probably was the right call.

Frankly I couldn't give a toss,
Was the penalty scripted or just an ad lib.....?

Ronny smashed it home, which isnt easy after about a 5/6 minute hold up.

It was a great game, plenty of drama.

Champions league n championship this week has been pretty entertaining.

Any half decent football is well aware of what is going on around him

Having debated this for too long at work today.....I fully understand why the pen was given..... I'm just hacked off there are so many cheating twats who trick refs and because there is 'contact', penalties that change games and often win games are given and yet ex-professionals and it seems the majority of fans see it as acceptable.

A ref though can exercise a bit of licence in other parts of the field, to keep the game flowing and not ruin it for the fans, as long as he or she is consistent. When a foul occurs in the box, they have to blow up for a foul, penalty or indirect free kick.

But it's generally the other way round and fouls that would be given outside the box aren't given when inside.

Referees are also suppose to cut out the cheating and in my view any simulation is cheating whether following a foul or not, it's trying to influence a decision which is unsporting behaviour.

I'm not so sure about that , maybe lower down the leagues this may happen, but at highest level , the likes of Oliver don't shy away from making big decision, that's why they're at the top of their profession.

As for simulation , I doubt many games would finish these days if refs really clamped down on that and went by the book , same with shirt pulling in the box from corners. I would like to see them clamp down on these things, but it would be farcical for a few months until the players got the message.

A normal foul isn’t ‘cheating’ most happen as a consequence of trying to win the ball ahead of the opposition player. Diving is a pre meditated attempt to deceive the official to gain an advantage. Quite a difference I’d say.

I don't know how anybody can criticise referees, especially in the premier league.

They're trying to handle what is effectively a game with 22 cheats who are diving, shirt pulling, injury feigning and all the rest of the shit they get up to.

And yet, as soon as they get a decision wrong, they're all the incompetent bastards under the sun !!!

Another angle for lovers of still images


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m not sure what any still images tell us. You could find one that makes it look a penalty as easily as you could find one that makes it look like not. I don’t think that one tells us anything.

Even super slow motion zoomed in distorts things and makes any contact look worse and more of a push. At full speed the defender at most puts his hands up as he’s about to collide with the striker who’s stopped. I think his hands are almost an involuntary reaction as he thinks he’s about to run into him. Contact is minimal, but their is slight contact all the same so I can see the case for a penalty but as MadJohn said if he’s giving that and he’s consistent he’d be giving 20 penalties a game. Added to the fact it was in the last 20 seconds of an all square Champions League quarter final and effectively decided the tie is why I think it was a poor decision.

So if there was a foul and a dive, it should have been a penalty but also a yellow card to the diver. Seems simple enough to me.

Is that like a foul and a miss? So you have to replace all the players and start again?

Should have a good old fashioned drop ball over it.

I miss them.

I gave the odd drop ball when I was reffing, players thought it odd, but if both teams commit foul at same time and ref cant make mind up, seems sensible to me. Anyway it was always a good laugh watching the players contest it.

Another thing you never see is 2 players from opposing teams get sent off , when both went in studs up, nothing in the rules to say it can't be done, but it takes a radical ref with balls to do it.

Another thing that boils my beer, is players taking corner kicks from outside the corner arc

Pisses me off when fans make a massive deal of a team taking a few extra yards at a throw in.

Especially when we are getting beat, id rather them get the ball in play than have the ref make them take it again and waste more time etc.

Generally the same fans who still dont understand you dont have to leave the pitch if your injured and a yellow card was awarded.

Wankers.

A great night for VAR last as the ref awarded a handball penalty in the Frieburg v Mainz game after watching footage of an incident.

The bad point was he gave it after the half time whistle when most of the players were back in the changing room. Took about 5/6 minutes for the Frieberg keeper to return to the pitch.

Aye I seen that, it's absolutely mental. Surely the logical thing to do is that once that whistle has blown that draws a line under anything.

Saw Kaka get sent off in the american league last year for having a laugh with his mate on the other team grabbing his face. VAR deemed this to be serious foul play.

I don't think there are enough suitable opportunities for videoreffing in footy for it to be of great value.
It works OK in cricket because it's not a continuous game.
It works (mostly) OK in rugby because it's nearly always associated with a stoppage, or if not, the advantage rule is flexible enough to be able to backtrack. It does tend to get overused though.

I had an open mind about the VAR trial to begin with but the whole thing is rapidly turning into farce. That won't stop FIFA from insisting on its adoption - farce is their speciality after all.

Goal line technology and an additional assistant referee (AAR) behind each goal line for internationals and the like is all that's needed. There are always going to be marginal decisions in football and stopping play for minutes at a time to review them from multiple angles to the far end of a fart will ruin the game.