Thanh Hoa Club's penalty goal was legal, the referee was not wrong!

In the 70th minute of the match, Antonio successfully executed the penalty, bringing the only goal to help Thanh Hoa FC defeat Da Nang FC, thereby continuing to top the V-League rankings. Referee Hoang Thanh Binh's decision to recognize the goal for Thanh Hoa FC became the focus of round 9. Before Antonio kicked the shot, center back Nguyen Thanh Long was already in the penalty area.

Previously, players from both sides were not allowed to enter the penalty area before the ball left the player taking the penalty. If this happened, the referee would retake the penalty.

Thanh Long (number 7) was in the penalty area before Antonio finished.

But now, the law has changed. A former referee shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper: “According to the new law, the referee and the VAR team have 100% correct decisions. Players only break the law when it affects the situation (for example, playing the ball, committing a foul...). But Thanh Long did not affect the situation, so he did not break the law.”

New law

In its new set of rules, FIFA clearly states:

If, before the ball is in play, one of the following occurs:

• A teammate of the player taking the penalty kick is only penalized for infringement if:

– The encroachment clearly affected the goalkeeper; or

– A player who plays the ball or challenges an opponent to gain the ball and then scores, attempts to score or creates a goalscoring opportunity

Thus, Thanh Long did not violate any clause in FIFA's new law and the goal was recognized as the correct decision.  

“This situation is quite similar to the 2022 World Cup final. At that time, 2 Argentine substitutes ran onto the field while Messi scored. The referee determined that the position of the player running onto the field at that time did not affect Messi's scoring situation. The goal was recognized,” said Target man .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ban-thang-tu-cham-phat-den-cua-clb-thanh-hoa-dung-luat-trong-tai-khong-sai-18524112023571593.htm