Rio Ferdinand was miffed as Karim Benzema's goal was ruled out for offside in the Champions League final.
The French striker had the ball in the back of the net which would have given Real Madrid the lead just before halftime but it was chalked off. Benzema was deemed to be in an offside position despite the ball coming off Fabinho which caused plenty of controversy among the BT Sport pundits.
Benzema was through on goal as he took the ball around Alisson who got a touch on the ball before it hit Ibrahima Konate and then back off the Reds keeper.
The ball then bounced off Konate and Federico Valverde with the last touch coming off Fabinho before Benzema slotted the ball past Alisson. Referee Clement and Turpin and his officials ruled it out for offside.
VAR reviewed the incident with a long delay but the referee's decision was upheld. The Liverpool midfielder diverted it into Benzema's path but because it wasn't deliberate, he was adjudged to be offside. Fabinho's touch was deemed to be a deflection instead as the Brazilian attempted to clear the ball.
Ferdinand was baffled by the decision at half-time, however. He said: “All I’m hearing is it might not be because it might not be intentional it’s come off Fabinho, but it’s still come off him, that’s the point. If I’m a Real Madrid player now I’m going bananas in that changing room.”
Former Premier League referee Peter Walton explained the decision and why the VAR check took so long. He said: “It’s actually quite easy, to be honest with you. Benzema is in an offside position.
“The offence is committed if the ball is played back to him. When we see the action there, Fabinho, it deflects off him. He doesn’t deliberately play the ball back to him. Because he hasn’t deliberately played the ball back to Benzema, Benzema is not deemed to be onside.
“You can see there that the ball deflects off Fabinho, doesn’t play Benzema onside and the offside offence is committed when he gets the ball. It’s come off the Liverpool player, but he’s only played onside if the Liverpool player is deemed to have deliberately played the ball.
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“That’s why it’s taken so long with the VAR - they’ve decided whether Fabinho has deliberately played it. He doesn’t, it deflects off him, and Benzema is still offside.”
Michael Owen added: “It does come off a Liverpool player. I think the ball goes forward to start with, it just clips a Liverpool player then I think it remains offside. However, I’m not sure whether it takes a bounce back away from the goal and then comes off another Liverpool player and what’s the rule then?
“As Rio said, a very difficult one. That comes off two Liverpool players that makes me feel it could be a goal, because at the start I thought, no.”
