During the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Champions League between Real Madrid and Chelsea (2-3, ap) several game facts were discussed on Tuesday. Three in particular.
47th minute: penalty not called for Chelsea
From the start of the second period, Chelsea – who were leading 1-0 at the time – put the pressure back on Real’s side… which was very scary. On a shot by Timo Werner, Thibaut Courtois throws himself around the corner to avoid the corner, but pushes the ball in front of him. Kai Havertz rushes to get it back, but Casemiro resists the German with his body so his keeper can grab it. In slow motion, the Brazilian’s attack is very limited and seemed to deserve a penalty for Chelsea. Instead, the referee awarded Real a free kick.
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50th minute: no corner on Rüdiger’s goal
Deprived of a penalty moments earlier, Chelsea took advantage of an error of judgment in the action of their second goal. Reece James takes his chance, but his shot from the left is too wide (50th), which fails just before Courtois’s goal. Disturbed by Modric’s pressing, the referee then awarded a corner to the Blues when the Madrid midfielder failed to touch the ball. On the corner, Antonio Rüdiger scores with a header on the reception of the center of Mason Mount. On this shot, the referee could not reverse his decision to cancel the corner, as it was an action different from that of the goal.
62nd minute: Goal just denied to Marcos Alonso
Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso scored his team’s third goal in the 62nd minute, but it was ruled out by the referee after video assistance was called in. This meant a hand – albeit involuntarily and attached to the body – just in front of the rocket from the Spaniard’s right.
If she is cruel in this precise action, the rule is clear: “It is a foul if a player (…) scores a goal (…) immediately after the ball has touched his arm or his hand, even by accident”, says IFAB Laws of the Game Article 12.1 Timo Werner finally found the loophole for the Blues in the 75th minute, but that was not enough for Chelsea, who were eventually eliminated after a brilliant game.
