If you think soccer ever appropriately punishes taunting/instigating behavior, think again. Was 4O this year and had an idiot D1 coach argue with me when his player got cautioned for running 30 yards to get in an opponents face after a goal.
Especially when it would create an attacking IFK in the PA. Gonna take a lot more than that for a ref to stop play to card a keeper who just got bumped.
Or he saw simultaneous offenses of equal severity, which, although not in the text of the Laws anymore, is apparently still something The IFAB think should be a dropped ball: Hi @probaddie, thank you for your question. It is a dropped ball! Best regards— The IFAB (@TheIFAB) March 7, 2019
I guess MassRef's explanation makes sense, theoretically. I need to go back to watch to see who was booked and who was involved prior to the whistle. I feel like he just stopped play because he saw misconduct already happening, knew he was pulling out yellow cards, but didn't want to give a controversial IFK.
Okay, but Lisandro Martinez hadn't done a thing when he blew the whistle. So that's not it. We're over-thinking it. A creative referee got the best solution he wanted in the moment. I don't think he was going through the LOTG in his head at the time, but if he was, the general outline is above. Blow the whistle for "nothing" there and the restart goes to the goalkeeper, which is the safest route (unless the GK committed VC, of course). Whether Mateu knew that cold per the Laws and made a conscience choice ahead of time or just landed there out of common sense is anyone's guess.
But it's both lawful and it doesn't harm anyone. Do you want an IFK going in there? Coming out? I mean, what's the issue?