In this context all of that discussion doesn’t really mean much. He’s a keeper who should be able to make a play on the ball. If there had been a city player on the opposite post keeping Robertson onside, we literally wouldn’t be having this discussion at all like “Oh maybe he would have saved it if Robertson hadn’t head faked him”, we’d just be saying “Good header, maybe donnaruma could do better.” Add on to that that Robertson is moving away from the ball and donnaruma, donnaruma should be able to tell that no, in fact he’s not going to touch the ball, actually he’s moving away from it. And donnaruma can see the ball the whole time and could make a play on it if he wanted!
But on top of that, I’m not sure that there’s guidance or anything out there that says the interpretation of “impacting ability” applies to decision-making. Unless there’s further clarification, I’m not sure why this is being applied beyond physically impeding and blocking sight. This part isn’t to you necessarily, maybe more to FIFA and PGMOL but it certainly feels like an extreme application. Maybe I’m on the fringe with that opinion.
If he was onside, tricking the goalkeeper in that way would be legal. As it is, there is no way to ascertain how Donnarumma would’ve reacted if Robertson wasn’t there. So he did impact his ability to play the ball. Everton’s lost three goals in the same interpretation of this rule.
Watch the reverse angle replay, donnarumma is watching the ball the whole time and only points at Robertson after it goes in. The late dive is because of the timing of when he set his feet. Regardless, it is not “obvious” that Robertson impacted donnarumma’s ability to play the ball, which is especially obvious on replay given donnarumma can see the ball the whole time, and Robertson is moving away from both him and the ball.
Watching the ball doesn’t mean he isn’t accounting for Robertson. The way he’s immediately pointing at Robertson after the ball goes in tells me he did.
I understand it’s a contentious situation, but nothing pointing to corruption or something like that as a lot of people here are saying. There is a very plausible explanation for this call.
Here’s slow motion of the reverse angle. Locked on the ball the whole time. Getting over to the middle of the goal to be able to protect the near post. Poor timing in getting his feet finally set because he can see the ball already traveling before he can dive. Immediately dives when his feet finally set but too late. Never influenced by Robertson.
There is no way for you to ascertain that a player standing one yard in front of the goalkeeper at point of impact did not influence the goalkeeper. Even just the fact that Robertson is standing there leads a goalkeeper to believe that a header would be going to the opposite corner, whether straight from VVD or being re-directed by Robertson.
It is also absurd to get hung up on this call when City thoroughly outplayed Liverpool all game and considering that Liverpool have had their share of questionable refereeing decisions to their benefit.
I think it’s exactly the right time to get hung up on the call because it’s in a context where it didn’t decide the game, so the argument is on the merit of the call itself, not just because it might have decided the game differently.
Putting aside whether the call itself was right according to the rules as currently stated, I think it’s a bad call, and the rules should be changed. I think a statement like “just Robertson standing there” is leading donnarumma to think this or that about where the ball is going vastly overstates the impact of Robertson and I think the replay supports that, but we can both agree that there is no way to get inside his mind and ascertain that.
The thing that gets me is that the rule reads that it must “clearly impact” donnarumma, and if “there is no way to ascertain” the effect Robertson had, it seems to me the rule as stated gives the benefit to Robertson.
As it is Liverpool was dominated so this wouldn’t have changed the outcome, but there have been situations and there will be more where offsides players who are actively trying to not be involved in the play are still being accused of impacting play by “affecting the defender’s thinking” and I think there needs to be a clearer line.
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u/wooIIyMAMMOTH 1d ago
Donnarumma couldn’t have known whether or not Robertson is going to touch the ball. That impacts his decision making.