Here we go again.
A dubious penalty in favor of a European power facing off against a Latin American team at a World Cup, handed by a referee already in question. We all know what comes next:#Noerapenal.
For the last four years, Mexicans have lamented how a penalty on a dive by Dutch forward Arjen Robben cost them the game against the Netherlands in Brazil. Now it’s Colombia’s turn. On a corner kick, England’s striker Harry Kane struggled with midfielder Carlos Sánchez, with both of them falling to the ground after an awkward hold.
The American referee Mark Geiger called for a penalty and didn’t check the VAR, which could have shown him that Kane was also holding Sánchez. England scored and took the lead on a game they ultimately won in penalty kicks.
Colombians were furious and started to borrow Mexico’s hashtag:
Later in the game, Colombian player Carlos Bacca took advantage of a lapse in concentration from the English defense and scored. But the goal wasn’t valid because, according to the referee, the defenders were focused on clearing a second ball from the field. The goal revived Colombia’s own 2014 hashtag #eragoldeYepes, which referred to another invalidated goal that would have tied their quarterfinal game against Brazil. The similarities weren’t lost on the Colombians:
Time to dust off those jokes, because #noerapenal is here to stay.