It didn’t legally go in the net thus it was never a goal. Doesn’t matter if the asst. ref called it or not, it was offside (not offsides) it just took the officials a little longer than usual to determine that.
Just because the broadcaster puts up a goal on the TV screen, or it goes up on the stadium scoreboard and the TV announcer yells “GOOOOOOOOL!” doesn’t mean it was a goal. And for sure, just because the ball crosses the line doesn’t mean it’s a goal.
Fun game to watch. Next one (Japan/Sweden) should be a good one as well, but I probably won’t be watching.
Fine. I’m not gonna argue this minor point.
Hey. You’re right. It’s no big deal. The end result is the same.
Never seen a team hit the posts as many times as Spain did in this game. Not only that first missed opportunity where the striker hit the same post twice, but their PK, and 2nd goal, both could have easily been no-goals.
In every major tournament, you get blow-ins like me, complaining about players falling over at a sideways glance. Now they have replays, and it’s still allowed to happen. Clearly, the powers that be just don’t care about faking for penalties. It’s bizarre.
And Sweden take Japan. A clean sweep for the Europeans so far.
First time champion now guaranteed.
Shows what I know. Sweden dominated for most of the game, although Japan had chances at the end. Missing a PK really hurt, obviously.
Sweden dominated possession but were lucky to win. The penalty kick awarded Sweden for handball was a pretty weak call given no possible intent and little advantage. Japan hit the upper crossbar on a penalty kick and twice more the Swedish keeper, good as she is, was saved by the posts. I guess Sweden deserved it, barely, despite taking the worst corner kick I’ve seen in years. 
Exactly right. It was definitely a handball in the penalty area, but it was far from the goal and the ball was heading towards the end line, not the goal. Nevertheless, that’s the rule, and the PK was the correct call under the current rules. (At least, as I understand the rules.)
That’s about as clear a handball PK as you’ll ever get. Neither intent nor advantage matter, but I will say that a Swedish player was right beyond the offender, and after the handball Japan won possession and cleared the ball.
Yes, I joked that the winner of the match was the goalpost! Japan always has to deal with being shorter and smaller than opposing players, and this time they did not handle it as well though their ball handling and passes where, for the most part, great.
//i\\
It is true intent is not always an issue in the newer soccer rules. The question, as I understand it, is whether the hand was in an “unnatural position”, which is debatable. The experienced announcer clearly thought it an “unfortunate” handball, because “the arm was away from the body”, but in the middle of several players pushing each other and the likelihood the player only seeing the ball briefly, if at all, I’m not quite so sure; nor sure ten years ago the same call would have been made.
I’m glad about this.
Yup, I was rooting for Japan but this shake-up is good for the sport.
The underdog I’m now rooting for the rest of the way is Colombia.
Yeah, me, too. It signals real growth in the sport, that there hot spots of skilled players and rabid fans all over the world.
Bit off-topic, but if England won a World Cup (men or women’s), are its fans supposed to sing “It just came home” instead of “it’s coming home?”
Australia v France goes to penalties after the Aussies survive a withering last few minutes of extra time.
C’mon Aussie, c’mon!
Tenth round of penalties.