SO, WAS OLIVER RIGHT TO GIVE REAL THAT PENALTY?
BRAVE REF SHOWED HE CAN HANDLE BIG GAMES
MARTIN KEOWN
YES. in many ways, Michael oliver’s decision is the perfect example of why refereeing is so difficult. it can be argued either way. By awarding real Madrid a penalty, people are saying he crumbled under the pressure of the home crowd. But if he had waved away the claims, many would have said he lacked bottle. it was a brave decision. other referees might have let it go, but he had the strength of his convictions to make the decision. There aren’t any english referees going to the World Cup this summer, but last night oliver showed he has the mentality to handle pressure in big games. Juventus defender Mehdi Benatia was the wrong side of lucas vazquez. He rushed in, pushed vazquez and was clumsy in trying to hook the ball away. He should have just waited. vazquez looked indecisive. Was he trying to chest it or was he going to stick his head where Benatia’s boot was? With a bit of patience, Benatia might have had the chance to win the ball cleanly.