Kasper unlucky — but also annoying
KASper ScHMeicHel was very unlucky to exit the World cup on Sunday, having saved three penalties — one in the final minutes of extra time, two in the shootout. But, good grief, is he annoying? Whether screaming in the referee’s face in protest at the most obvious penalty ever given, or chasing after him to complain about a stuttered run — when we now know goalkeepers strayed off their line for 15 of the 19 penalties taken that day, and Schmeichel did in four of croatia’s five — the leicester man was a perpetual nuisance. Also, how smart did the change to the double jeopardy rule look when luka Modric missed the penalty given as the match entered its final minutes? Ante rebic did not even have a last man to beat when he was felled from behind by Mathias Jorgensen, having already rounded Schmeichel. He was a matter of yards from running the ball into an empty net. Yet, because a penalty had been awarded, the new ruling is that a player cannot be punished twice for the same offence, so Jorgensen escaped with a yellow card. it did not matter greatly because the match was close to over, but if that had happened in the first minute, Denmark would have sailed on with 11 players, and no disadvantage once the penalty was missed. it is a joke, particularly as players are still sent off for handling on the goal-line, as carlos Sanchez of colombia was against Japan after three minutes. there was no difference between his action and that of Jorgensen, and both prevented certain goals being scored. the rules must be tightened up.