April 10 – After a five-day wait, they ended up playing for just 18 seconds! UEFA’s unprecedented decision to order England and Norway to replay the last moments of their women’s under-19 European qualifier duly took place Thursday night with the English grabbing the 2-2 draw they thought they had achieved first time round.
The ruling was made after UEFA acknowledged the referee in the original game last weekend blundered by ruling out a stoppage-time England penalty for encroachment, instead awarding Norway an indirect free kick .
The laws of the game state that although she was right to disallow the goal, she should have ordered the kick to be retaken.
An English protest led to both teams returning to finish the game in Belfast with the same player, Leah Williamson, once again netting from the spot for a 2-2 draw that ensured England topped their group.
Both sides had to play another qualifier earlier the same day before resuming their own tussle which lasted all of 18 seconds, starting with the retaken 96th-minute spotkick.
In bizarre circumstances, with a different referee in charge, the players emerged and headed straight to the Norway penalty area rather than the centre circle.
Williamson coolly placed her spot-kick into the bottom left-hand corner, leaving Norway just enough time to kick-off before the final whistle was blown.
Both England and Norway, as best runners-up, go through to the final tournament in Israel in May.
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