For six years for almost everyone, despite the great esteem he has always enjoyed and still enjoys, he has been “the referee with a rubbish bin instead of a heart”, as Gigi Buffon called him in 2018 for the penalty awarded in the 90th minute against Real Madrid in the Champions League which cost Juventus elimination. UEFA has designated the Englishman Michael Oliver, 38 years old, an international for twelve years, who has already refereed in World Cups and European Championships, for the match between the Spaniards and the Croatians. The last direction of him was the Conference League semi-final first leg between Fiorentina and Brugge but how did the English whistle fare yesterday?
Oliver’s history with Spain and Croatia
Oliver had already refereed three times Croatia and two Spain in his career.
The referee only cautioned one player
Assisted by assistants Burt and Cook with Taylor IV man and Attwell at Varthe referee only booked one Spain player, Rodri.
Spain-Croatia, the slow-motion cases
These are the dubious episodes. For over an hour and 10 minutes little happens. Then in the 77th minute Pedri brought down Petkovic in the area. Sensational scoring ball for Croatia, with Petkovic one meter from the empty goal and ready to push the ball into the net. Rodri’s intervention was spectacular as he extended his leg from behind – without being able to touch the ball in any way – and brought down the Croatian attacker. Oliver awards the penalty only after the VAR intervention, but only gets a yellow card. Rodri does not try to hit the ball, but rather hinders the attacker. Protests for the missed red card for the Spain midfielderwho would thus have missed the match against Italy next Thursday.
The penalty is right and the choice not to send him off is also correct. In the penalty area to show the red card for a clear scoring opportunity there must be a push or a hold: in this case it was just a low foul. The resulting penalty was still a mess. Petkovic had the penalty saved, Perisic intervened and put it back in the middle for Petkovic himself, who deposited it into the net. After a VAR check, however, the goal was disallowed. Perisic is seen entering the penalty area with his left foot before the shot and at this point he becomes an active part because he provides the assist to Petkovic. The referee’s decision is therefore correct. If he had not touched the former Inter player but another player the penalty would have been repeated.
Marelli’s explanation
To clarify the cases of Spain-Croatia is Luca Marelli who writes on Facebook regarding the missed red card for Rodri: “The directive is that, in this dynamic and with the ball close to the players involved in the action, the intervention of the defender. I have never liked this reading and still don’t like it. But, until this indication is changed, we can do nothing but believe corrected the yellow card although the basis for this interpretation is, in my opinion, very weak. There was no offside on the disallowed goal, an encroachment by the Croatia player who intervened on the ball after the save by the Spanish goalkeeper. Overrule (this is an objective case) and indirect free kick”.
