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Keith Hackett’s verdict
1) Time for some common sense. It’s a head injury but there’s no need to stop play: the player landed off the pitch, he’s already receiving medical attention, and, even after he rolled back on, neither he nor the physio is interfering with play. So await the outcome of the attack, and then stop the game, delaying the restart until the injury has been fully dealt with. As for the defender’s behaviour… Did he roll back on due to his delirium – or was it a deliberate attempt to disrupt the opposition attack? You have to be very certain of that before taking any action against him – but if you are sure it was a ruse, show him a yellow card for entering the field of play without permission. James Lambert wins the shirt.
2) No. Only the players who were on the field of play at the end of the game can be involved in the shootout. So, before the kicks begin, equalise the two teams in number: they’ll have 10 takers each. This is one of those situations where the club staff clearly don’t know the laws properly: if the striker had hobbled back on before the end of extra time, he could have taken part. Thanks to Ryszard Kaleta.
3) You are the decision maker – so make your decision and stick by it. You need to have the self-belief to act on what you and your colleagues saw, and nothing else. If you don’t think the keeper touched it, award a goal-kick. Thanks to Seb Collins.
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