Another insane UCL game - Real Madrid avoids insane Juve comeback
What a horrible way for Buffon's UCL career to end.
On heels of Roma's insane comeback against Barca, Juventus comes back from a 0-3 aggregate deficit ON THE ROAD in Madrid to pull level at 3-3. Then deeeeep into stoppage time, a questionable call in the box gives Real a PK. And the historically great goalie Gigi Buffon, incensed, playing admittedly his last UCL game (if it would be a loss), protests a bit too much and is redcarded. And CR7 puts the PK past Buffon's replacement (in fairness, NO human would have stopped that kick), and Real avoids total disaster.
WOW.
Officiating deciding games makes me sick.
the problem is not calling it if it is a penalty decides the game too
Fair, but if a player commits a foul. It is a player deciding it by committing a foul as well.
a game is nearing the end is a ref deciding a game, but most people mistakenly say a ref decides a game when he calls a late foul, which isn't true. It was the guy who committed the foul that decided the game.
In this case, it was 100% a penalty. Had the refs let it go just because the game was in the final minutes would have been deciding it. In this case, the refs didn't decide the game. They got it right and the guy that committed the penalty decided the game.
The worst part is that it seems like officiating deciding games is becoming more and more common.
I know, it's almost as if sports suddenly have rules and shit???
because it's almost as if the poster above is suggesting that the rules should be suspended if they are going to help determine the outcome late in games. . . which, of course, would just be another way for an official to determine an outcome!
It was, however, a crazy end to the match. My daughter, who hates Ronaldo, had just turned it on and was laughing at him for getting so excited when his team had lost 3-1! Not quite!
I don't see how you overcome this problem--if Ronaldo is in fact getting fouled but the official might not see it then Ronaldo is doing himself and his team a disservice by not drawing attention to the fact. My daughter, FWIW, thought it was a legitimate foul.
...is the problem with letting the players play?
April 11th, 2018 at 10:35 PM ^
then you are affecting the outcome by inaction. The officiating is still determining the outcome.
April 12th, 2018 at 11:07 AM ^
pushing guys isn't playing soccer. The refs did let them play until a defender mauled a guy in the box.
It was a legitimate foul. 100%. Refs got it right. They did their job. They didn't determine the outcome. Dude shouldn't have pushed a guy in the box (and wrapped his leg around him) before the ball got there. Plain and simple the guy that committed the foul determined the outcome and lost his team the game.
Another reason to hate/love Ronaldo, depending on what you already thought about him. Insane finish. Seemed like a weak call to make in injury time.
Kind of a poetic ending for Zidane and Buffon. Buffon was on the other side of a similar situation when Zidane was sent off in his last World Cup game.
Let's go Reds!
The call was very soft.
My biggest complaint with soccer (and i love soccer) is these calls are so close and determine games. I have watched this play a bunch and am really unsure but am shocked it was called
Biggest indicator is how the player reacts. If he is looking for contact and goes down easy, you can say it was unfair. The shock in Lucas' face when Benatia pushes him is clear and you can see that it impeded him from making a play.
April 11th, 2018 at 11:10 PM ^
scoring opportunities for that very reason.
Still agree that the PK is a bit too easy for any penalty in the box.
How can you rob a team that blatantly commits a foul? Piss poor defending on Juve's part and they paid the price.
So f'ing sick of Barca and Real....Forza Italia!!!
Great effort by Juve. Benatia was a bonehead though on that play. At least Zidane can comfort Buffon. He knows what its like to have your career end on a red card..although Gigi still has the rest of the season to play in Serie A. Buffon is such a legend though.
I too am a hardcore liverpool fan. I like our chances alot. YNWA!!!
/i'm not explaining it. Google it
You're a Nerd With Attitude?
/joke
Yawn
You're Alone Walking Now?
Pfft. Liverpool is the fake hipster's choice. "They haven't won the most titles, just second-most! I'm no glory hunter."
The real hipster goes for the Eredivisie or Juplier Pro League.
Greg Louganis school of *** diving on that horrible penalty call. UEFA just didn't want 2 italian teams in the semis with no bonafide superstars to carry the ratings.
Not yet a household name, but definitely one of the top five players in the world this season.
April 12th, 2018 at 12:40 AM ^
Just curious who is in your top 5 this season.
You are right. Buffon, one of the all-time greats at GK is not a superstar. Dybala, the next rising star of the sport is not a superstar. Higuain, signed for over $100 million is not a superstar. Don't talk about shit you don't know.
They are not considered "superstars" to the casuals. Maybe Buffon since he is a living legend.
IDK how to exactly define a superstar but those three are top 10 at their positions. Casual fans, I assume, are American soccer fans. Any European/South American soccer fan would undoubtedly know whot those three are.
Got too excited x 1
Got too excited x 2
Biggest flopping league in Europe. I still like Ronaldo but he takes after his league-mates by flopping in the box every time.
I know jack shit about soccer but that looked like a flagrant foul to me
Very easy call. Absolutely correct. Dude pushed him with both hands and wrapped his leg around him before the ball got there.
Two handed push in the back and trying to put your foot through the guys armpit to get around to the ball that's hitting him in the chest, while by the 6 yard line box, seems like a pretty straight forward PK call to me.
Slightly off topic but I can't be the only one that hates Juve's new logo can I?
The old crest was a classic and just fit the overall Italian club lineage better.
By the book it was a penalty, but whether you should make that call at that juncture, I don't know.
It wasn't as bad as the phantom penalty on PSG during Barça's "remontada" last year but it was pretty weak. The Spanish big two do have a knack for getting the favorable whistle when it counts.
That was an unbelievable comeback by Juve on the road. Sucks that the game had to end like that.
If I were to make a Michigan analogy, it would be similar to the foul called that sent Rumeal to the line in '89. Was it a foul? Yes, but in that situation, some refs might not call it.
April 11th, 2018 at 10:26 PM ^
As a ref, I would NEVER make that "touch" call in that situation. It also grinds me when the ref with the worst angle makes a critical call.
because 1) it was definitely a foul so you can't call the game differently just because it's late. You can't enable a defense to take advantage and maul guys. And 2) with there being no ties, you'd wrongly give the series to Juve by not calling it.
If it's a game that would go to extra time, mayyyybe I could see not calling something that was close to let them keep playing (but this wasn't even close, the dude clobbered a guy in great scoring position).