For 11 seconds, the ball, the goal-line system and the referee’s watch told different stories at the Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps. Auxerre’s Ligue 1 match with Le Mans, level at 1-1 on Sunday evening, was interrupted after a disputed Lucas Buades free-kick was eventually ruled a goal.
A delayed goal-line alert
- At 46 minutes and 31 seconds, referee Willy Delajod awarded Le Mans a free-kick near the touchline, outside Auxerre’s penalty area.
- He organised the defensive wall and initially restarted play 21 seconds later, but stopped the set piece again at 47:15 after players grappled inside the box.
- Following a brief warning to those involved, Delajod authorised the free-kick for a second time 22 seconds later.
- At 47:40, Buades delivered the ball into the area. It struck Auxerre goalkeeper Paul Nardi’s hand, went beneath him and emerged on the other side.
- The main broadcast camera then lost sight of the ball at the decisive moment. The question was whether it had fully crossed the goal line.
- Nardi recovered the ball and threw it clear around two seconds later, while Delajod allowed play to continue. Auxerre began a counter-attack before the referee halted it at 47:50, once the ball had crossed halfway.
- Three seconds after stopping play, Delajod showed his watch to the players. Its display read “goal”. The alert had arrived 11 seconds after the ball’s possible crossing of the line.
VAR check brings a second confirmation
Auxerre players immediately sought an explanation and Delajod spoke with the club captain. He was also seen listening to communication from the video officials, with the television coverage indicating a VAR review at the 49th minute.
After the exchanges, the referee pointed to the centre circle and confirmed a Le Mans goal. He subsequently went to the pitchside monitor, although the reason for that review remains unclear.
If the referee’s watch had already received a definitive goal-line signal, there would normally have been no need to inspect footage before play resumed. The review was not used to assess the earlier holding inside the penalty area. Instead, Delajod watched two images focused solely on whether the ball had crossed the line, neither of which provided a conclusive view because of the tight zoom.
At 51 minutes and 28 seconds, he confirmed the Le Mans goal again.
Auxerre consider their next step
Available broadcast angles have not established with certainty that the ball failed to cross the line. Footage supplied by Auxerre from behind Nardi’s goal appears to show the ball staying out, but the image is of poor quality and has been compressed.
An assistant referee explained that only the dedicated goal-line camera, positioned high above the stadium, can determine conclusively whether the whole ball crossed the line. That system is intended to communicate its verdict directly to the match officials, although in this instance the message arrived late.
It remains unknown whether the delay resulted from a technical problem with the goal-line technology.
Auxerre had not lodged an official protest with the match officials after the final whistle. The club have 48 hours in which to do so and could seek to prevent the result from being ratified.
