Referee blows for full-time as the ball flying into goal...worst way to lose the title

[ivo870]

Last game of the season.

I'm in second place. I have to win away to Fulham and Chelsea must to lose against City for me to win the title. I take the lead through Phil Jones off of a corner kick. Dominating the game, I concede a goal in the dying minutes of the first half. There was supposed to be 1 minute added on, however the goal was scored at 46:30 on the clock. Ok, **** happens.

Going in 1-1 at halftime, I instruct my players to go all out and get the win. Meanwhile, City take the lead against Chelsea. Pushing on all second half for the winner, Fulham are defending valiantly, sitting deep behind the ball. Around the 80th minute I throw Fellaini on as a Target Man in a desperate attempt to score.

On to stoppage time, the score is still tied. Added time is 3 minutes. I am desperate to score. "Please guys, one goal is all we need to win the title!" At 92:40, the ball is passed back to De Gea who launches it far up the field. Fellaini gets the flick on and the ball falls to Thiago, who expertly finds an onrushing Benteke. Benteke is clean through on goal and Steklenburg rushes out to meet him. Benteke executes a perfectly weighed lob, Steklenburg scrambles to get back to goal, and the ball appears to be flying into the back of the net. I jump for joy. "YES YES YES YES!! I WON THE TITLE! What an incredible comeback!" Oh no. Whats this? Full-time? Impossible. The ball is flying toward goal with the keeper out of place, and the ref blows. The time on the clock was 93:01. Chelsea clinch the title despite the losing.

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDY8XAvbMg0

I also uploaded a video of Fulham's goal, since they scored after added time was over, but I now see that the youtube uploads don't show the time stamp so its pointless to share it. I also tried slowing down the replay speed to get a better glimpse of the events but I see that it isn't reflected in the video.

I know there will be some ambiguity about whether the keeper caught the ball, the ref blew, and then he walked into goal or if he was walking into goal as the ref blew. After slowing it down considerably, it surely looks the latter. IMHO this could have been a goal since his momentum could had tipped him over the line. Either way, IRL no ref would blow full time during an event like this. Most refs will wait until the keeper releases the ball to call the end of the game.

Either way, I feel gutted. Never have I felt so cheated in my entire life. I was on the brink of probably the greatest most intense FM moment of my life. And then this. I am seriously contemplating reloading the game, but even if I win the replay I still need Chelsea to lose. What do you guys think? Anyone else have things like this happen in a game of utmost importance?

Discuss

EDIT: After watching it again at the slowest speed, the is no doubt what happened. Steklenburg catches the ball right outside the line. He then takes three steps inside his goal. Then the whistle sounds as he is deep inside his own goal. The whistle sound approximately the same time he turns around after catching the ball.

[Ackter]

iirc, it's a graphical bug where the keeper moves further back than he actually does, but please bring it up in the bugs forum to make sure, thanks.

[podunkboy]

Actually, I've seen real-life games where the referee is looking directly at his watch, waiting to blow time, oblivious to anything going on around him. And I'm sure such a thing has happened IRL every season in almost every league. Doesn't make it sting less when it happens to you, though. And if you reload it, and you lose - what then? If you win, and Chelsea wins - do you reload again? In any event, it would sully a painful and agonizing memory that you will otherwise carry for the rest of your life. You don't want that, do you?

[Xinxin]

I feel you. I didn't have this kind of bad experience, but in FM11 I finally had a chance to win the PL with Coventry. I needed to win the last game of the season and I needed another team (I'm pretty sure that was Chelsea as well) to lose. Well, it was all going well, at 90 mins I was winning and Chelsea was behind 0-1. In the 94th min they equalize and therefore won the league on goal difference.

(just for the sake of it I made a save, reloaded and experimented with replaying the match a couple of times. I never won the league. I reverted to the original save and geared up for a new season with a solid 2nd place under my belt)

[CityAndColour]

Stoppage time is a minimum amount, not an exact amount. So Fulham scoring after 90 seconds when a minute was added is fine.

[MrPompey]

How can you be cheated, the ref applied the correct amount of time to play the match.

I'd ask Father Xmas if you can get an Alex Ferguson watch......guaranteed additional time when needed

I had a match that went to a penalty shoot-out, for penalty 4 the opposition keeper actually rushed off his line as my player began his run up, the keeper ended up making a save on the edge of his 6 yard box. Clearly a bug but it did make me laugh before I started crying

[milnerpoint]

Thats about as unlucky as you can get.

[Nadessico]

just imagine the City QPR result.

Balotelli............ Agueroooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh oh the whistles just gone. I could imaging some delighted United fans

[ArneH]

Refs don't blow their whistle in the midst of a chance/goal. They wait for it to pass. (which is the case here if it's a graphical bug as Ackter said)

[Macshimmy]

I remember it happening just like that in 'Roy of the Rovers'. It was the making of Melchester Rovers. Let it be the making of you, lad.

[Neil Brock]

That's really harsh, but can't help think of this -

[ArneH]

That's really harsh, but can't help think of this -

Is that referee still alive?

On a serious note: I always heard with chances like that referees gotta wait 'till the chance is finished. Did I hear wrong?

[Phil Macklam]

That's really harsh, but can't help think of this -

That was exactly the same incident I was thinking about.

Did Clive Thomas ever referee an international after that "disallowed" goal?

[endtime]

I hate to roll out the "it happened once in real life" defence, but...

[video=youtube;B-GHqqI6nUA]

Also, from the highlight you posted it seems clear to me that the goalkeeper catches the ball before it crosses the line and that's when the referee blows for full time, the GK walks with the ball into the net because the game is over.

[Her9]

Is that referee still alive?

On a serious note: I always heard with chances like that referees gotta wait 'till the chance is finished. Did I hear wrong?

No, the rule states that the only chance that a referee has to let play go on is during a penalty. Everything else, the referee can whistle.

Obviously there is something called common sense which is not always used by the men with the whistle!

[Macshimmy]

Just watched the clip, and I think Steklenburg is actually going to punch the ball over the bar, then he hears the whistle and just catches it instead.

See, thats why I still play with wee dots - I don't mind supplying my own interpretations.

[Fabio MVP]

As I've already said, it's so anoying that full times whistle is ALWAYS blown after the exact number of minutes added, ehich is not the case IRL.

[Georgik]

Yes, getting tired of people finding excuses for obivous bugs, instead of admitting this is wrong.

So you're telling me that this can happen IRL, when the title is at stake on the last day of the season where everyone's eyes are on the referee, i don't think so.

[milnerpoint]

Yeah i mean a world cup tie is no where near as important as the EPL is it?

[CityAndColour]

As I've already said, it's so anoying that full times whistle is ALWAYS blown after the exact number of minutes added, ehich is not the case IRL.

Yet as soon as someone concedes after the minimum time added (even ten seconds) they start complaining about bugs. This is one SI can't win.

[Dagenham_Dave]

As I've already said, it's so anoying that full times whistle is ALWAYS blown after the exact number of minutes added, ehich is not the case IRL.

Except it's not 'always'. I've had plenty games where it's been over the alloted times.

[Fabio MVP]

Except it's not 'always'. I've had plenty games where it's been over the alloted times.

You probably had only few of them. I've played two seasons with Man Utd and no matter how close the game was it ended in 99% of cases just after e.g. 3 added minutes. Needs sorting.

[Dagenham_Dave]

You probably had only few of them. I've played two seasons with Man Utd and no matter how close the game was it ended in 99% of cases just after e.g. 3 added minutes. Needs sorting.

In the grand scheme of things, it's not really that important, is it?

[Fabio MVP]

In the grand scheme of things, it's not really that important, is it?

Actually, it's very important. Don't you mess with Fergie Time.

[drtrick]

Thread title reminded me of this from last season, it cost a guy £500,000.

[CarltonBanks]

I can't say much about your cancelled goal except that as others have suggested, it was a graphical bug with the 3d ME. Their goal just before the half is nothing you can complain about. In FM, just as in life, stoppage time is a MINIMUM amount. The ref can blow exactly after the added time, or he can let it run longer if he feels there have been more delays during the stoppage time. And while generally, yes, refs will wait til the result of a scoring chance after time has passed, there isn't a rule about it. As soon as minimum time hits, it's entirely at the refs discretion.