At first glance, Mbappe was caught offside when he received Theo Hernandez’s pass before then darted to outsmart Unai Simon.
France’s winning goal in the UEFA Nations League final scored by Kylian Mbappe against Spain on Monday (11/10) early this morning invited protests from the opponent, but the referee did not budge and still approved it.
Spain thought Mbappe was already in an offside position when he received Theo Hernandez’s pass – and apparently he was – but referee Anthony Taylor ruled that defender Eric Garcia touched the ball first.
Spain captain Sergio Busquets later said after last night’s 2-1 defeat that the explanation he received was “absurd”.
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What happened?
Busquets’ Response
“For those of us on the pitch [gol kedua] it looked offside,” the Barcelona midfielder told El Chiringuito TV. “The referee told us that because Eric tried to play the ball the offside was cancelled, but that doesn’t make sense.
“He was just trying to intercept the ball, he didn’t play it and lost control.”
Other Comments
Pandit Sky Sports Jamie Redknapp also shared his views. He said: “It’s very difficult to digest because from a Spanish point of view you try to keep the line good. Mbappe has incredible speed however timing wrong run. There was indeed a slight touch from Garcia.
“The rules then state that it becomes the second phase of the game but what is Garcia supposed to do? Should he let it go even though he doesn’t know what’s behind it?
“You can see from the moment Theo Hernandez plays the ball, he [Mbappe] clearly offside. But because there was a thin touch from Garcia, it was considered a new phase of the game. But for me it is not so. This is a very bad interpretation of the rules. I don’t like it and it feels unfair.
