Was Shane Smeltz Offside When He Scored New Zealand’s Goal Against Italy?

I see good reasons to call it either way. At first, he was offside, but the deflection created a new game situation in which Smeltz did not draw an illegit advantage from his positioning.

Shouldn't have been a goal because the Italian defender was pushed at the header scene, anyways.

Chiellini intentionally played the ball but he mucked it up (he tried kneeing the ball away) so I don't think it was an offside. It's the same thing as if someone played the ball back to their keeper and an offensive player managed to get to it first.

IMHO, it's a moot point, as the equalizer goal for Italy came off a completely unwarranted penalty kick. It was a gimme. In an ideal world, Kiwis won that game 1:0. In our tainted imperfect world, it's a draw.

On a related note, Italian passing game was atrocious; they could not finish off a single combination for 97 minutes. Technically savvy? My grandmother passes better than that!

I thought that the moment the ball is kicked (by a Kiwi) if the player in onside all bets are off. In this case Smeltz was still curling WELL behind the defensive line when the ball was struck…Am I seeing this correctly?

Was that really a penalty? This shirt grabbing gimmick seems to happen every time there's a ball centered onto the box.

We're not discussing the concessional penalty call here, either.

I too feel Chiellini's tip made it all possible. Just like Gerardo's argument. Logistically, it could've also been an intentional head pass back to the keeper which was then intercepted by Smeltz.

On Italy's goal. I think someone converted a vuvuzela into a blow gun and hit DeRossi's legs with a numb dart. Desperate times.

Still, what a thrilling match.

Ya know, you're right. It took a few viewings but I see the distinct push in the back at about the :43 mark..

I think you are wrong. We are discussing it, as it happens. :)

I'm only a casual fan, but since Italy drew 1-1 with Paraguay in the first round, what makes the draw w/New Zealand more significant? Is it because of the Kiwis' low ranking?

What are the odds Italy get an offside goal against Slovakia to complete the Slovakia, NZ, Italy offside-goal triangle?

Might be the only way they score.

Separate post about the penalty will be live on site soon…

Umm no unwarranted are you kidding me? grabbing the shirt isn't allowed when you cause your opponent to fall down, or otherwise for that matter, and the passing game wasn't bad at all Italy had way way more possession then NZ although Italy could not finish, you grab someone in the box and cause them to fall to bad PK, stop being a NZ fan boy and pay attention,

Yes. New Zealand were ranked 78th or something like that, and were expected to be hopeless. Paraguay are a well renowned team who would expect to qualify from this group.

That would be correct if the ball hadn't been flicked on by Winston Reid. Since it was, it is the position Smeltz is in when Reid flicked it that counts, therefore he was definitely offside.

Had the flick come off an Italian head then he could have been stood anywhere he liked and would have been onside. But it wasn't…

Daryl,

It's very difficult for Assistant Referees to pick up a slight flick (Jody Craddock, of my and your beloved Wolves, scored two similarly questionable goals last season against Stoke and Bolton), and Cannavero's touch probably confused the officials into thinking the goal was legitimate.

The fact that it bounced off Cannovaro’s thigh is immaterial, it is all about the position of the player at the time the team-mate played it with his head.(at this point Smeltz is in an offsides position that gives him an advantage)

Marco,

You are of course correct. My comment was an attempt to make sense of how the officials had an aberration of judgment. But missing a flick-on, with the consequences for offside, also happened too many times last season in the Premier League.

I watched this game on a 50″ HDTV and I honestly couldn't say whether Reid got a touch or not. I think only he could cofirm that but on the reply from behind thegoal it looked like Reid rolled his neck but missed the ball by a few inches. If we are however to assume that the linesman should've picked up on what would have been the faintest of touches, then we could also expect him to spot that it was off the Italian's hand thus being a penalty to NZ. In any case, the Italian penaly was a terrible decision so the goals certainly cancel eachother out.