Arsenal!!!

[digitalwanderer]

OMG are they kicking some serious ass right now!

I don't know if they'll win or not, but they're a man down and playing their hearts out right now just attacking Barcelona!

 

[slider]

Total silence ensues....

 

[Zaphod]

Close != Cigar.

 

[nutball]

I can't say I'm surprised that Barca "won" that game. Not that teh Arse were free from cyncial activities, but you do have to wonder what the result would have been had Pires and Lehmann been on the pitch for 90 minutes.

 

[Zaphod]

I can't say I'm surprised that Barca "won" that game. Not that teh Arse were free from cyncial activities, but you do have to wonder what the result would have been had Pires and Lehmann been on the pitch for 90 minutes.

It's not like thay can complain about that, though. Had they been unlucky, the ref would have given Barcelona the advantage and the goal, and then sent Lehmann off.

 

[Dresden]

Total silence ensues....

You, good sir, just made my signature.

 

[_xxx_]

My interest in footbal ceased a few years ago. It's just a bunch of millionares acting through 90 minutes nowadays, no more real spirit there. I mean, just look at the teams - all just a bunch of highly payed superstars without any real interest in the sport.

 

[MuFu]

My interest in footbal ceased a few years ago.

Me too, though the cup final was unbelievable. Best live sport I've seen in a while.

 

[slider]

You, good sir, just made my signature.

Glad to be of service!

My interest in footbal ceased a few years ago. It's just a bunch of millionares acting through 90 minutes nowadays, no more real spirit there. I mean, just look at the teams - all just a bunch of highly payed superstars without any real interest in the sport.

'Tis the way of the big clubs unfortunately. Much more fun to be had with the smaller teams. Look at plucky West Ham (aka The Little Team That Could) in the FA cup final. Now THAT was a game to see.

 

[Mariner]

The referee ruined the game.

I'd assume he blew his whistle too quickly and therefore couldn't play the advantage. Should have been a goal for Barcelona and a yellow card for Lehmann but he backed himself into a corner and had to send off the keeper which destroyed the game as a spectacle. I'd much rather have seen 11 vs 11 attacking each other instead of one team defending and little else for 70 minutes

After Henry missed the chance for a second goal for Arsenal I never thought they would win although I guessed they would lose in extra time, not normal time.

Not a great peformance from Barcelona on the night but they played well enough on the way to the final to show they were good enough overall.

 

[Zaphod]

I'd assume he blew his whistle too quickly and therefore couldn't play the advantage. Should have been a goal for Barcelona and a yellow card for Lehmann but he backed himself into a corner and had to send off the keeper which destroyed the game as a spectacle.

Under the rules, I don't think that's an option. Tackling a player in a scoring position is a red card offence, and cards should be given at the first stop in play if the advantage is given. Had he reached the ball he would have handled it outside the box, again denying the attacker a chance to score, which is a red card as well.

It is almost the same as the debate about involuntary hands on the line that come up every year. In general everyone think that both the penalty and the red card is too strong punishment, however, that's the rules.

 

[Crisidelm]

Under the rules, I don't think that's an option. Tackling a player in a scoring position is a red card offence, and cards should be given at the first stop in play if the advantage is given. Had he reached the ball he would have handled it outside the box, again denying the attacker a chance to score, which is a red card as well..

No, it's common sense that if the action finalizes with scoring, the offence is overruled by the advantage given, so no red card (unless the tackle was utterly violent and with the clear intention to harm the opponent player, in that case the red card is given regardless of advantage).

 

[digitalwanderer]

The game has rules? Are you sure? We were trying to figure it out yesterday and it just seemed like anything goes with the refs/umps randomly hitting people with yellow cards.

 

[Crisidelm]

That's what you get with a Norwegian ref...
Not that the Italian ones are any better at the moment, on the contrary: it's just been found that a half or more of top Italian refs were "fixed", if you know what I mean...

 

[Zaphod]

No, it's common sense that if the action finalizes with scoring, the offence is overruled by the advantage given, so no red card (unless the tackle was utterly violent and with the clear intention to harm the opponent player, in that case the red card is given regardless of advantage).

I agree with you that such an interpretation would have been better for the game, but apparently that doesn't change what the rules say. Common sense has nothing to do with it...

 

[Zaphod]

The game has rules? Are you sure? We were trying to figure it out yesterday and it just seemed like anything goes with the refs/umps randomly hitting people with yellow cards.

Yep. Strange as it may seem (I feel the same way about American football) there are rules.

 

[Hanners]

I agree with you that such an interpretation would have been better for the game, but apparently that doesn't change what the rules say. Common sense has nothing to do with it...

Having said that, even the referee of last night's game has now admitted he made a mistake, and that he should probably have delayed blowing up for the foul for a few more seconds, then allowed Barcelona's goal to stand and given Lehmann a yellow card.

 

[Mariner]

I think the referee certainly can have some leeway with decision making in these matters. The change in rules to give an automatic red when a goalscoring opportunity is denied was basically brought in to stop players getting deliberately tripped outside of the area by defenders, or almost killed by goalkeepers such as when Battiston was assaulted by Schumacher back in 1982!

The referee from last night has admitted he made a mistake in whistling too soon and left himself no option but a red card for Lehmann when a goal and a yellow would have been preferable.

Another amusing decision last night was when Henry was booked for cleanly tackling Van Bommell. Van Bommell kicked Henry after the ball was won then went down writhing on the ground which got Henry a yellow - bloody cheat!

 

[Zaphod]

Really? Thanks for the linkage. I saw some debate on TV some time ago after a similar situation and there was a guy from the UEFA referee panel (or whatever) that stated that red card offences should be punished by the red card regardless of the outcome of continued play.

A player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the following [...]

4. denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
5. denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick

[and]

The referee: [...] takes disciplinary action against players guilty of cautionable and sending-off offences. He is not obliged to take this action immediately but must do so when the ball next goes out of play.

Note that they differentiate between the 'opposing team' and 'an opponent'.

 

[Crisidelm]

The keywords here are "denies...a goal". If the goal is scored, there's no denial of it, hence no offence: the goal overrules the offence by denying the denial (sorry, I couldn't resist ).