Was Croatia's equalizer valid?
Perisic's equalizer brought Croatia back from the dead, but was controversially accused of fouling Kyle Walker.
The goal was immediately recognized as valid, but the British press and "Three Lions" fans thought that the main referee Cuneyt Cakir made a mistake when he did not blow the whistle for Perisic's high kick on Kyle Walker, the player who was preparing to head the ball in the penalty area.
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| Perisic's goal came from a high-kick situation. |
On social media, many opinions affirmed that this was exactly the wrong decision of the referee: "Perisic's high kick would have been a foul anywhere on the field. The England team is coming to an end because of the mistakes of the World Cup referees."
Another account analyzed the situation further: "Perisic's shot was dangerous for Walker's head if he was the defender clearing the ball. The studded boots can cause serious injuries. This is really the result of unfair application of the law."
Historically, Turkish referees have had quite a few "debts" with the English. In the 2013 Champions League against Real Madrid, it was Mr. Cakir who showed a red card to send Manchester United's Nani off the pitch in anger to Sir Alex Ferguson. Notably, the "Red Devils" midfielder was sent off for a high tackle on Alvaro Arbeloa.
Previously, it was also this "man in black" who disqualified John Terry from the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, preventing the captain from appearing with Chelsea in the historic final of "The Blues" in the European arena.
Throughout the match, the referee also ignored Dejan Lovren's fouls on Raheem Sterling. Paul Walker was fouled by two Croatian players but received a yellow card for his reaction to the referee.
With the above reasons, the English have reason to question why Mr. Cakir not only did not blow the whistle for Perisic when he kicked high above Walker's head, but also recognized the goal for Croatia, causing the 90 official minutes of the match to end with a score of 1-1 and had to go into 2 extra periods.
In the end, Mandzukic's goal ended the "Three Lions" dream of conquering the gold cup, and helped Croatia reach the World Cup final for the first time.
