A fresh perspective on Lamine Yamal’s controversial goal for Barcelona against Real Madrid has surfaced. LaLiga faced criticism during Sunday’s El Clasico clash at the Bernabeu when the 16-year-old appeared to score for the Catalans with a flick from a corner.
Yamal’s attempt seemed to have evaded goalkeeper Andriy Lunin before the Ukrainian was able to deflect the ball away from the net.
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Controversy Reigns: LaLiga’s Goal-Line Technology Debate and Yamal’s Disputed Goal
At the time, the match was tied at 1-1, but LaLiga does not employ goal-line technology. Consequently, the referee allowed play to continue, and VAR couldn’t definitively determine if the ball had crossed the line, as only two angles were available for review.
Another angle of Yamal’s goal shout:
byu/CEREALKLL574 insoccer
However, a new perspective on the disputed goal emerged in a clip shared on Reddit, suggesting that the ball did indeed cross the goal-line.
In the video, Real’s goalkeeper Lunin can be seen positioned inside the goal, desperately attempting to clear the ball, yet the goal was not awarded.
LaLiga’s approach to goal-line technology differs from leagues like the Premier League, where such incidents can be swiftly resolved with officials receiving immediate signals on their watches indicating whether the ball crossed the line or not.
According to Spanish outlet El Larguero, La Liga president Javier Tebas has reportedly refused to allocate the £2.6 million needed for goal-line technology.
Fans expressed disbelief that Yamal’s goal was not awarded, but Tebas promptly defended La Liga’s decision to forego such technology.
LaLiga President’s Response and Xavi’s Frustration: Refereeing Controversy Overshadows Barcelona’s Loss
The LaLiga president shared a series of articles highlighting instances where goal-line technology has failed, including the infamous phantom goal from Sheffield United’s Premier League match against Aston Villa in 2020. Alongside the images, Tebas wrote ‘no comment’ in a clear response to the criticism.
Meanwhile, Barcelona coach Xavi expressed frustration at yet another perceived refereeing error following Lamal’s controversial goal.
He stated that he wouldn’t comment on the referee to avoid being banned, but he emphasized that the situation was evident to everyone. Xavi asserted that their team was superior that night and deserved the victory. Xavi also criticized the referee, claiming that not a single decision made was correct, labeling it as a disgrace and urging against remaining silent about it. He expressed his initial hope that the referee would either stay inconspicuous or make accurate decisions, but neither of these scenarios occurred.
‘I’m not going to say anything about the referee because I will be banned if I do but it was there for all to see,’ he said. ‘We were the better team tonight and we deserved to win.’
‘The referee did not get a single decision right. It’s a disgrace and we should not remain silent.’
‘I hoped the referee would either go unnoticed or get his decisions right but it was neither of those two things.’
Lamal’s contentious goal proved costly for Barcelona. Despite taking the lead in the second half with a goal from Fermin Lopez, Real Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez equalized, and Jude Bellingham secured a last-minute victory.
As a result, the LaLiga title race appears to be effectively settled, with Real Madrid extending their lead to 11 points with only six games remaining, putting them on course for a record-extending 36th domestic championship.
