Why did the referee 'blow the whistle' on U22 Vietnam's goal?

Referee Rustam Lutfullin recognized Nguyen Dinh Bac's goal to increase the score to 2-1 against U22 Laos despite assistant Sanjar Shayusupov reporting an offside error for U22 Vietnam.

Controversial situation of U22 Vietnam

On the afternoon of December 3, U22 Vietnam opened the group B match of men's football at the 33rd SEA Games against U22 Laos at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok. When the score was 1-1, a turning point happened in the 60th minute.

In this situation, striker Dinh Bac shot the ball into the net of Kop goalkeeper Lokphathip for the second time. However, the assistant referee raised his flag to signal offside. Assistant referee Sanjar caught the position of striker Nguyen Quoc Viet.

U22 Vietnam - U22 Laos (2-1)

Quoc Viet was in an offside position so he jumped to avoid Dinh Bac's low shot. Therefore, the assistant judge said that this U22 Vietnam striker participated in the ball situation when affecting the goalkeeper.

Article 11 of the offside law has clause 2 that mentions a similar case as above: "affecting the ball from an offside position: obstructing vision, disputes, causing loss of concentration".

Accordingly, the assistant referee thought that Quoc Viet blocked the Kop goalkeeper's view when Dinh Bac shot. This decision caused a strong reaction from the U22 Vietnam players. Coach Kim Sang Sik received a yellow card for his reaction in this situation.

However, FIFA referee Rustam Lutfullin did not agree with his colleague's assessment. The Uzbek referee quickly consulted with Mr. Sanjar and "pressed the flag" and "blow the whistle".

U22 Laos coaching staff is not satisfied with the referee's decision.

The goal that raised the score to 2-1 was recognized for U22 Vietnam. Dinh Bac scored a double.

Former head of the VFF referee board, Mr. Duong Van Hien, said: "The decision of the main referee is the final decision. The assistant referee is responsible for marking the position, and determining whether a player participates or affects the situation depends on the main referee's judgment."

In slow motion replay of this situation, Quoc Viet's position when jumping up seemed to be on the same straight line from Dinh Bac's position to the Kop goalkeeper.

However, the referee's decision was final. The goal helped U22 Vietnam take the lead against U22 Laos. After that, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team won 2-1.

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QUANG THINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vi-sao-trong-tai-be-coi-ban-thang-cua-u22-viet-nam-20251203175945415.htm