Hellas Verona striker Thomas Henry did not retake his penalty against Inter Milan despite Yann Sommer coming off his line early.
As today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, explain, this was the correct decision because Sommer did not get anything on the ball.
In recent seasons, referees have tended to be more strict with rules about penalty-taking.
From infringement in the penalty area to goalkeepers coming off their line before the kick is taken, the implementation of VAR has made it easier to spot infringements.
This has led to a bit of confusion. And, at times, it has meant players have had a second chance at a penalty, or that seemingly successful spot kicks have not counted.
But at the same time, there have been efforts to avoid too many interventions.
For example, attacking encroachment has not been punished if a penalty is scored directly. This avoids having goals chalked off for fractional encroachment where the encroaching player doesn’t benefit.
And it’s a similar situation with keepers coming off their lines early.
Why Hellas Verona Penalty Wasn’t Retaken Despite Yann Sommer Moving Too Early
If a keeper makes a save, but does so by coming off his line early, then the taker gets another chance.
But that doesn’t mean that every time a goalkeeper moves prematurely, another spot kick is inevitable.
Yesterday was an incident of this nature.
Replays did show that Inter keeper Sommer moved off his line before Henry struck his effort.
But the Swiss did not get anything on the shot.
On the contrary, Henry had wrong-footed Sommer. The 35-year-old dove to his left after the Verona striker stutter-stepped.
Therefore, the Frenchman had a bigger chunk of the goal to aim at.
But Henry nevertheless missed his penalty.
The Verona striker went for power and placement. And he hit the post in the process.
Since Sommer had not intervened, the referee and VAR were correct not to award another penalty.
