The arm is not in a natural position, it’s definitely a handball. And since it was not deliberate, it would not be any sanction unless it was going directly into the goal (in which case it would be only a yellow card), due to the recent LOTG changes. Correct decision.
Ah the fun part of VAR. Ref gives Liverpool a free kick for handling just outside the area. Liverpool thinks it's inside and they're right...but it wasn't a foul so the ref goes to the monitor and we restart with a dropped ball to the GK.
What was that VAR call to take off Brugge's 4th goal early in second half stoppage time? I see no foul there.
Attacker's left knee hits the keeper's left ankle/foot. The contact is very clear. 11:21 on the highlights package here: The only question is whether or not the contact amounts to a foul. And I think it has to be. It's "soft" insofar as forcefulness of contact at this level. But it's very consequential. Yes, the keeper has made an error but he also has the right to land on the ground here. The tackle very clearly trips him and the tackler never plays the ball. I don't see how someone can get to "trifling" here.
Yes that is clearly a foul. Attacker makes wild slide a yard away from the ball and doesn’t allow the keeper (who is making a legitimate play on the ball) to land his foot on the ground before the wild slide takes it out. Excellent work by VAR and Taylor
I'm just blown away that serious football people think this isn't a foul. When I heard about the controversy before watching it, I was assuming some phantom fouls. It is an obvious foul.
Of course, though, this probably brings to mind Makkelie's non-call on the Benzema-Donnarumma play a few years back. Allowing that goal to stand while having this one called off via VAR is... interesting.
"That is NOT a foul in any game of football." Nigel Reo-Coker can't believe that Club Brugge's late winner was disallowed ❌ pic.twitter.com/JSwahcNOdU— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 5, 2025
I'm most perplexed that he thinks Szczesny's facial expression is an admittance of guilt. It seems like a "yeah, c'mon we all knew it was a foul" look. And then the attacker's facial expression is one of guilt in my eyes. Just seeing something completely different than him based on player reactions. It's like they both knew it would get annulled.
This guy is a complete moron. “He’s lost control of the ball”… what the hell is he talking about? He dragged the ball backwards to keep its way from the attacker, and before he can get back to it, his leg is taken out, that’s why it looks like he “lost control of it”. “He leaves his left foot out there”… no, he’s about to plant it and the sliding defender drags it laterally out so it looks like he’s “leaving it out there” These are the moronic “pundits” criticizing referees
I am reminded of the 2022 Libertadores final where we had the pleasure of this guy co-commentating, in which underdogs Atletico Paranaense were defeated 1-0 by "Flamingo" .
This is the same guy who is noticeably cringing at Christina Unkel's explanation on why there is no handball in the Marseille/Atlanta match yesterday where the defender kicked the ball onto his own hand in the penalty area: "This is our worst-case scenario as a referee... At the end of the day this was the correct decision." Christina Unkel breaks down the controversy at the end of the Marseille vs Atalanta game 😬 pic.twitter.com/ppDtVFJj2R— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 6, 2025
So I feel like I'm on the draconian end of SFP generally and I totally understand why this is given. Obviously, the evidence is there. But I can't help but think that the game doesn't actually want this as a red card? https://streamable.com/cd4k1p It's a bang-bang play. It's essentially a complete accident. The guilty player reaches, plays the ball first, and only hits the opponent the way he does because said opponent comes late and misses the ball. It's not glancing, per se, because you can see the force of the contact (which is why VAR sent it down) but at the same time, it's pretty close to that in regular speed. Other than reaching for a ball what did the guilty player do wrong? I'm probably barking up a tree that I don't even believe in--at least relative to current instruction--but maybe it's a question about current instruction and the advent of purely results-based refereeing. The studs are flush and the ankle buckles so it's a red card. But, given why we punish "serious foul play" (and give 3-game suspensions for it in a lot of competitions) is this really what this is? If the player commits the exact same act and hits him .01 second earlier or later, we aren't having this discussion at all.
Very similar situation here: https://www.streambug.io/cv/2e70cf Want to be clear. I think instruction is being followed. But I also think the wrong types of potential SFP are being prioritized. Referees are now getting these “right” even though they are mostly accidents because the result is unacceptable. But you’re still seeing the wild stuff from behind largely countenanced (witness the Bayern situation that took an injury and VAR).
I don't see much of a comparison besides the fact that the recipient of the challenge is the goalkeeper. The Benzema one is a fair shoulder-to-shoulder charge that's seldom whistled in the professional game. This one is a trip that causes the goalkeeper not to be able to plant his foot and consequently lose his balance.
I think there was pretty good evidence that there was leg contact at the time, too. I'd have to go back and find the thread, but ultimately I was of the opinion that while the shoulder contact would have been fine, it was most likely a missed foul call for the trip.
I agree with MassRef, the incidents are near identical. In the coolness of hindsight, the Benzema incident was quite a clear foul - he deliberately left his body into Donnarumma, so that he (the gk) couldn't get up and try to alleviate his mistake. Referees can't really win in these types of incidents, because people get really 'emotional' about a foul call, because it is seen as bailing out the goalkeeper, who had previously messed up. The other problem that Makkelie faced is that UEFA gave their referees guidelines to be lenient on upper body challenges just a few months prior.
Here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/2021-2022-uefa-referee-discussion-r.2116319/page-31#post-40328805
I appreciate all the discussion about the ending of Club Brugge vs Barcelona and my question about that challenge. Admittedly I was watching in a bar with no sound on the TV (and drinking) and definitely caught up in the drama of the match so all I had to go on was the pictures on screen at the time.