Lawrence Visser had signaled a penalty from Christensen but ended up showing Mosquera the yellow
The Plzen striker had elbowed the Barça center-back
It was the 25th minute of the Barça v Viktoria Plzen Champions League match, and referee Lawrence Visser put his hand in his pocket to grab the red card. He had awarded a penalty against Barça for a Christensen grabbed Jhon Mosquera inside the area. But the images showed something different.
And it is that, before the penalty, Mosquera had dealt a clear blow with his elbow in the face of the central culé, an infraction that was prior to the maximum penalty.
The possible penalty came after a long ball that reached the inside lane of Christensen and the central defenders, where Mosquera appeared.
Rien Vanyzere, Visser’s Belgian partner in the VAR, reviewed the action and called him seconds later to see the images. His compatriot went to the VAR monitor on the field of play, where the exact ‘frame’ of the impact on the face, from the Colombian to the Danish, awaited him. After a couple of moving images, the central referee was clear: annul the maximum penalty and point out a foul in favor of Barça, with a yellow card for Mosquera for using his arms recklessly.
Visser had not yet drawn the red, as Christensen was still lying on the grass sore from the blow. Thus, he pointed out the foul and showed the warning to the Plzen striker. A smart decision.