Jesse Lingard vs. Wolfsburg: Reaction to Manchester United's Disallowed UCL Goal
Controversy reigned at the end of the first half of Manchester United's all-important Champions League clash with Wolfsburg as Jesse Lingard had a goal disallowed after a very late offside call. United would end up losing 3-2, getting knocked out of the tournament in the process.
The forward wheeled away celebrating just before the interval, believing he had made the score 2-2 before the linesman made his decision.
As Lingard fired his shot, Juan Mata made a run across goal, and while he never touched the ball, the official judged he impeded the vision of goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, per United's official Twitter account:
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Bleacher Report UK couldn't believe it:
Squawka's Colin Millar thought it was the wrong decision, and most United fans will likely agree with him:
Under the latest rules, players no longer have to touch the ball or an opponent to influence play, however, and impeding the goalkeeper's vision can be enough to warrant an offside call, per James Orr of the Independent.
United legend Paul Scholes thought it was an obvious decision to make, via BT Sport Football:
From the camera angles available, it was difficult to see whether Mata really obstructed Benaglio's vision, but the linesman obviously erred on the side of caution and made the decision to raise his flag before the Wolfsburg players staked their claim.
ESPN FC's Alex Shaw still thought the hosts had something to do with the decision:
United went on to suffer defeat, and combined with PSV beating CSKA Moscow 2-1 in Eindhoven, manager Louis van Gaal and his squad now face a daunting Thursday night run in the Europa League.
