Ivan Toney’s free kick goal raises speculation on why it was allowed and not considered a cheat
Brentford came out on top in a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest with a spectacular free kick from Ivan Toney who returned to action after an 8-month ban from football
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Ivan Toney free kick goal from a set piece has the internet divided over whether it should have been allowed or not. The goal marked his first of many to come following an 8-month absence from football due to a ban.
From a long list of replays and footage, it appears that Toney adjusts the ball to his liking to get a better angle at goal. What’s more, is that he’s also seen removing the foam around the ball which raises several question marks.
Despite the fact that he moved the ball about a yard to the side, it was still not easy to put it past Forest’s wall and then the net itself. Yet the Englishman made it look so easy as the ball swerved past the wall – who couldn’t do much about it except watch it fly past them.
Although Brentford did win the game, it seemed that they weren’t exactly in the driver’s seat as Forest seemed to be much more in control. With that said, let us take a look at some key highlights from the game:
Match Summary: Brentford 3-2 Nottingham Forest
As aforementioned, Forest dictated much of the play as they held the possession at 52% and racked up a passing accuracy of 79% as opposed to Brentford’s 75%.
They even looked dangerous going forward with several lapses observed in Brentford’s defense. In total, Nottingham Forest managed to register 12 shots of which only 3 were on target.
Brentford weren’t too far off in terms of challenging Forest’s keeper as they managed to fire a total of 11 shots, of which five were on target – a rather busy evening for Forest’s keeper, Matt Turner.
It was a close game between both sides as they had very similar expected goals ratio, with Brentford at 1.20 and Forest at 1.22 – a pretty negligible difference splitting the two sides.
It took the visitors just three minutes to open the scoring thanks to a goal from Danilo but the hosts were quick to respond from a set piece that was converted by Ivan Toney.
Almost 15 minutes into the second half Brentford’s Ben Mee had given them the lead again only for them to go back down to a level pegging courtesy of Chris Wood’s goal, 2-2!
The frenzy didn’t just end there as three minutes later, Neal Maupay slotted home the third for Brentford and the bees walked away with their head held high and all three points in the bag.
VAR: Should the goal have been re-checked?
Fans and pundits alike are of the opinion that the goal should have been rechecked by the referee. The same sentiments are held by Forest’s manager Nuno Santo who says:
“It was ball displacement. The law is clear, every goal must be checked and every situation that leads to a goal must be checked. I don’t know whether they checked, but it is ball displacement.”
“I was also surprised the players didn’t complain about it. I think we have to be a little bit more mature in that situation because it changes the position of the wall and then it is a softball.”
“Everyone in the stands thinks it is a mistake of the wall with its position, but it was a clear ball displacement – not only inches, it is a yard almost.”
However, Ivan Toney suggests that it wasn’t really that big of a deal and that nothing much would have changed had the ball not gone in. In a post-match interview, he further elaborates:
“You can move it half a yard either side,”
“If I’d missed nobody would really question it, but the fact it’s gone in everyone wants to make a noise. But it’s gone in the back of the net and we’ve won the game.”
Is Ivan Toney staying at Brentford?
Is Ivan Toney free kick goal a cheat or not?
The answer to this question still remains unclear as Premier League clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal are still in pursuit of the Englishman despite being absent from footballing action for over eight months.
However, the player himself did drop some hints about his future in an interview conducted where he said:
“You can never predict when is the right time to move elsewhere,”
“It’s obvious I’d like to play for a top club, everybody wants to play for the top clubs, fighting for titles and these kinds of things. So whether it’s this January for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?”
“But my main focus is doing what I do on the pitch and let the background work take care of itself.”
