Messi and Suarez were the names all over social media last night after a piece of sheer impudence from the penalty spot. The former won a penalty in the 82nd minute after Barcelona were leading 3-1, but instead of putting the ball in the back of the net he teed up Suarez who rushed into the box and scored.
Many have lauded the brilliance of the goal, which was a replica of the one scored by Cruyff and Olsen back in the day. But should the goal have been disallowed?
Video replays suggest that Suarez had broken the laws of the game while scoring the goal. Just as Messi was approaching the ball Suarez started his run from outside the box but according to the rules of the game no player can enter the D-area while the penalty is being taken.
Several Twitter users have pointed this out with stills from the replay showing that Suarez was inside the D-Area when Messi touched the ball. This is a clear violation of the official rules and hence the goal technically should not have stood.
Henry and Pires also tried a similar attempt that ultimately backfired several years ago for Arsenal. Hence, Cruyff and Olsen’s sublime penalty still stands as the only legally successful attempt in the history of the game.
Here’s what the official rules of the game state in case of a penalty scenario:
-The goalkeeper can move sideways before the kick is taken but must stay on his goal line
-All the other players must stand outside the penalty box and cannot enter the area until the ball has been kicked
-The kicker cannot touch the ball a second time until it has been touched by another player
-If the referee spots a team-mate of the kicker entering the area before the kick is taken, he can a) order the penalty to be retaken if the penalty is scored, or b) if the penalty is missed, the defending team get an indirect free-kick
-If a defender moves into the area and the penalty is missed then the penalty is again retaken
The below image shows Suarez’s position being inside the D-area while Messi was in contact with the ball:
WATCH: Messi and Suarez's superb penaltyWATCH: "It's testimonial football". This is simply sublime from Leo Messi and Luis Suarez.More here: http://skysports.tv/wZmKLv
Posted by Sky Sports on Sunday, February 14, 2016
The goal was probably immaterial since Barcelona were 3-1 ahead but it also means Suarez would not have completed his hat-trick. Decisions, decisions!
