Brazil 2014: Benzema’s Near Hat-Trick Sinks Honduras As Goal-line Tech debuts
By Opeyemi Oladunjoye
France benefited from the first decisive use of goal-line technology – being used for the first time at a major international football tournament – on Sunday when the team was awarded a goal in its match against Honduras, which the French went on to win 3-0.
With France leading 1-0, thanks to a penalty hammered home by Karim Benzema after Wilson Palacios was shown a red card for a foul on Paul Pogba, Benzema hit another shot on the far post but the shot rebounded to Honduras goalkeeper, Noel Valladares, who fumbled the ball into the goal.
The seven video cameras trained on the goal established that the ball had briefly crossed the line by a few inches, alerting the referee on his watch with a flashing “GOAL,” before the ball was pushed out again by Valladares. An own goal against Valladares was awarded, making the score 2-0 to France in the 48th minute.
There was some confusion seconds before when the system showed replays of Benzema’s shot hitting the post with the verdict “NO GOAL” before continuing to show the actual goal.
The change infuriated the Honduras players, some of whom remonstrated with referee Sandro Ricci, while Honduras coach Luis Suarez bickered with France coach Didier Deschamps. At the end of the match, they hugged and made up.
“Well, I wasn’t angry because they accepted the goal. I was angry because they didn’t accept the goal. The first decision was `No goal’ and then the machine said it was a goal,” Suarez said through a translator. “So I don’t know what to think. That’s the point. If the technology sends a clear message, then I don’t understand how the system can say it’s a goal first and then `No goal.’ What is the truth?”
The third goal came in the 55th minute from a beautiful shot from Benzema again that the honduras goalkeeper, Valladares just couldn’t hold.
Benzema is only the second French player, after Zinedine Zidane, to score a double in the World Cup finals.