Jude Bellingham has slammed the decision to let Kai Havertz retake his crucial penalty in Chelsea ’s win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Chelsea beat Dortmund 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night to secure a 2-1 win over the German side on aggregate and book their place in the quarter finals of the Champions League. Graham Potter’s side were good value for their win, but the decisive goal after Raheem Sterling ’s opener was contentious.
The home side were awarded a penalty after VAR sent referee Danny Makkelie to the pitchside monitor to have another look at a handball claim against Dortmund defender Marius Wolf. Makkelie awarded a spot-kick, which Havertz sent onto the post, before being given a second chance due to encroachment.
Havertz made no mistake the second time around, burying his shot in the corner and Chelsea withstood pressure from Dortmund to progress to the last eight of the competition. Bellingham believes that the initial decision to award a penalty against Wolf was harsh and that the encroachment call was “a joke”.
Speaking to BT Sport, he said: “I’ve not seen the incident back. From where I was it looked like he was pretty close and I’m not sure what else he can do with his hands…” He was then shown a replay.
“It’s a yard or two away, I’m not too sure,” Bellingham continued. “I don’t want to get in trouble, I’ve paid enough to them lot.
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“But yeah, I think that in itself was disappointing and the fact they’ve had a retake, it’s a joke. I think for every penalty, especially when you have such a slow run-up, there are going to be people encroaching into the box by a yard or so. But that’s the game, I suppose, he’s made a decision and we’ve had to live with it.”
The FIFA laws on encroachment show that the officials did make the correct call in allowing Havertz to retake his penalty after his initial effort crashed in the post. The rebound was cleared by a Dortmund player, who had been inside the D on the edge of the box when Havertz struck the ball.
The laws state that if the defending team encroaches on the box and the spot-kick is scored then the goal stands. If the penalty is missed, however, then it is retaken.
Former Premier League referee Peter Walton explained what happened on BT Sport. “That is encroachment, yes,” he said. "He's clearly in the area there, and what it is is he has a material effect on the ball. The ball comes back off the post and when you see it, it's the player who's encroached who clears the ball."
Chelsea had much the better of the chances in the game, with Havertz striking the post and Kalidou Koulibaly missing a simple volley before Sterling opened the scoring. Kepa Arrizabalaga was called into action, but was relatively untroubled by Dortmund's injury-hit attack.
