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"Uzbekistan referee Ilgiz Tantashev made the correct decision on that penalty. He had reviewed the situation over and over again on video before noticing Manh's arm was involved in blocking a shot that could potentially lead to a goal," Hien said.
In the 49th minute, Sultan Al-Ghanam sprinted down the right flank before passing to Salman Al-Faraj, who tried to finish in the open goal. Manh used his body to block the ball, but it bounced off his thigh to his arm. Along with a penalty for Saudi Arabia, the ref also gave Manh a second yellow card, sending him off. The first yellow card was given when Manh was reacting following the collision, believing that he had been fouled.
"Many opinions held the ball hitting Manh's arm was passive and not on purpose. However, his arm did touch the ball, increasing his body surface that, according to FIFA regulations, led to the booking," Hien said.
Referee Ilgiz Tantashev gives Vietnam's Do Duy Manh a red card and Saudi Arabia a penalty in a World Cup qualification game on September 3, 2021.
According to FIFA rules, "a player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalized."
Vietnam had a dream start to the match with Saudi Arabia when Nguyen Quang Hai scored from outside the box in the third minute. But after Manh's red card, everything changed. On the penalty spot, Salem Al-Dawsari equalized for Saudi Arabia. With 10 men, Vietnam conceded two more goals, with the latter being another penalty after Que Ngoc Hai made a false tackle inside the box.
"I want to send my sincere apologies to the coaches, players and fans. I'm really sorry that it happened to me and the team," Manh wrote on Facebook.
With the red card, Manh will sit out in Vietnam's next game with Australia on Sept. 7.
