Tuesday, April 19, 2011

When every minute counts.

I am a fan of the Liverpool football club. I watched them play away to Arsenal on Sunday night. There was an eight minutes added time towards the end of the game. This added time was given largely due to the time used in treating Liverpool captain Jimmy Carragher who was knocked out cold after a head clash with one of his team mates. It was towards the end of the added minutes that Liverpool conceded a penalty and Arsenal scored. I switched off my television right after that thinking my favourite team would surely loose the game. I went to sleep an angry man.  

So it was a pleasant surprise for me the next morning when I read the sports news from the internet. It said the result of the football game was a 1-1 draw and Liverpool scored a penalty goal during the eleventh minute of added time. I was anxious to watch the repeat telecast of the game to see what really happened. Luckily I am a retired bum with all the time in the world to watch every television program. When the repeat telecast was shown I only watched the last ten minutes of the game. I really wanted to know how another three minutes was added to the official eight minutes added time. 

When the match resumed after Arsenal scored their penalty kick thinking they had won the game, Liverpool went to the attack straight away. Actually by this time the game should be over because the added eight minutes had been used. But the referee correctly gave a few minutes added minutes himself because Arsenal spent too much time celebrating what they thought was the winning goal. Even the goal scorer was given a yellow card for pulling out his jersey. If I am not mistaken this was the same player that stupidly kicked the ball away after being whistled offside during a UEFA Champions League game. For that stupid kick he was given the red card and Arsenal lost the game and was ultimately kicked out of the tournament.

Any referee would had whistled the game over if nothing happened. But a Liverpool player was brought down just outside the Arsenal penalty area during the referee's own added time. So Liverpool had to be rewarded with a free kick which they failed to convert to goal. Again if nothing happened the referee would blow for game over.

But right after the failed free kick another Liverpool player was pushed down right in the penalty area. So there should be a punishment for that even though playing time should be over. But the punishment happened to be the worst one the home team should receive. It was a penalty kick which would reduce their already assured three points to one. For the visiting team it would give them one point from the seemed zero. 

Liverpool scored the penalty and this time the referee rightly blew his whistle twice. One for the goal scored and the other for game over. I read a football book once and it said that in a situation like this when playing time was really over the penalty kick should be given because it is a form of punishment. But the game should  end once the goal was scored or if the ball bounced off the goalkeeper, goal posts or bar. Nobody could score from the rebound. 

I read too that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger questioned where the added three minutes came from. There you are Mr. Wenger, every minute counts.

1 comment:

Abu Nu'man said...

yes tuan haji...we're on the same boat!!!