Um... Argentina do realize that they need to win this to progress right? Edit: And now it's all over? Funny that this might be what eventual keeps Nigeria in this lol...
It's certainly one of the most interesting games of the WWC so far. I hate the VAR being used to call the GK's movement on a PK. That's just stupid. However, this match was really, really good for women's football. It had excitement, drama, everything you could want in a competitive match.
They still might advance and it's a historical accomplishment anyway especially with little or no support from your country's football federation.
Wow! Scotland took a page out of the FC Barcelona page. Maybe an entire chapter. How do you blow a 3-goal lead in 20 minutes when a win gets you to the next round (most probably)?
FT 3-3. Scotland 12(7)-(4)12 shots(sog), 5-1 corners, 15-13 fouls, 0-4 offsides, 8-14 tackles, 8-15 clearances, 49% possession, 75% (280/372) - (256/347) 74% passing. Tears of joy for Argentina. Inconsolable heartbreak for Scotland. @kelly_smith10, @enialu, @AriHingst and @HeatherOReilly react to what we just witnessed. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/0qKlP2OptW— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 19, 2019 Post-match, French TV's talking heads are going quietly berserk over VAR penalties. It's not just English language commentators arguing about it
Only way Argentina advances is if both the Cameroon/New Zealand match AND the Chile/Thailand match end in a draw.
Yup. Scotland only have themselves to blame. They probably should've just focused on seeing the game out, instead of continuing the attack, but what do I know. LOL!
The fact that Nigeria likely gets through now above either of Scotland or Argentina is near criminal.... Though to be fair, Nigeria probably should have gotten a draw against France if not for THEIR questionable double-PK. So maybe this other double-PK is karma. But Scotland and Argentina have both generally looked better than Nigeria have.
I've watched the first PK over and over, pausing it at the exact moment the player touched the ball, and I think Alexander is still on her line. It's the wrong call. The TV feed froze the frame a split second after the ball had been struck, by which time she was indeed off the line. VAR is inevitable, but they should really rethink emphasizing this particular aspect of the game. This sort of controversy is going to reappear over and over, and sooner or later some poor keeper is going to get a red card for being a split second early twice in a row.
Absolutely agree. In the second half, we had 5 goals, several subs, and about 5 minutes taken up by the VAR and PK retake. And both teams looked at the ref like "WTF" at the final whistle. Both wanted/needed to score another goal.
The way the Scottish players seemed to goad or try to put off the penalty taker was really off putting. The ref lost the plot but some of these decisions they are having to overturn are getting absurd. This foot on the line rule is nonsense.
Side note: we are now up to 5 own goals this tournament. Last time around had 6; the MWC last year had a whopping 12 own goals, albeit in a 64-match tournament instead of a 52-match tournament. I wonder if Onga L. can catch up to Owen Gole...
I wonder why Fifa didn`t try this vigorous foot on the line rule, including the double Var-Check with a nice yellow for the goalie in last year`s world cup
I really hope they do something about this now. The rule as enforced currently is a JOKE and we are ruining the tournament because of this.
Scotland wasn't focusing on closing the game out at 3-0, and it cost them dearly. I think part of it is the lack of experience in major tournaments.
I just realized where we've seen this ref before... she was here in Qatar a couple of months ago reffing the Al Kass youth tournament final between Rangers and Roma ... We met her and Pierluigi Collina and some other refs afterwards as I think they were doing some VAR training / refereeing conference here in Doha... anyhoo, I remember her having a controversial match in that game sending off a couple of players.. seemed pretty no-nonsense. Anyway, didn't realize she was North Korean, and a former international player who played for NK in the 1999 + 2003 world cups. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ri_Hyang-ok Is that allowed in men's football for former international players to ref later on? Anyhoo, it's mainly VAR making the calls either way...
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) has a permanent seat on the International Football Association Board (IFAB). Perhaps they now have cause to goad/entice/support FIFA's four votes to (ahem) look at certain Laws
Okay, this was a sarcastic comment, but turns out to have been accurate. I am gonna go back and watch that second half...