How Alejandro Garnacho Missed His Goal for Chelsea Against Benfica?

The Chelsea vs Benfica match drew massive attention, not just for its competitive nature but for Jose Mourinho’s long-awaited return to Stamford Bridge. However, this time he was not a blue but a Red as he was leading the Portuguese side Benfica in a UEFA Champions League fixture. Both teams started fiercely, trading blows in a tightly contested battle which saw a lot of dispossessions. However, Chelsea’s back four struggled to maintain their defensive cohesion, exposing vulnerabilities very early in the match. Amid this, Pedro Neto started a promising move, charging down the right wing before switching play with a superb cross into the box. The ball found the debutant and ex-Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, who struck it toward goal, seemingly scoring a sensational debut goal. Alejandro Garncho goal was later turned out to be an own goal, which came off from a deflection made by the Benfica defender Rios.

Reason Why Alejandro Garnacho's Strike against Benfica Counted as Own Goal

The Argentine did all things which was needed to put the ball into the net, better placement, perfect timing on a half volley, but the thing that was missing from his strike was the direction. By Direction, we meant to say that if the ball was moving into the direction of the goal, it could've been counted as a goal for the Argentine. The strike from his boot went directly into the foot of Rios, who was trying to cover the goal and at the same time, the ball hit his boot and went into the goal.

Per IFAB rules, an own goal is awarded when a defending player unintentionally directs the ball into their own net. Replays revealed that Garnacho’s shot deflected off a Benfica defender’s leg, altering its path before crossing the line. The whole incident might have given Blues' fans some joy, but the most affected person from this incident could be Garnacho, who really wanted to prove himself after all the things which has happened with the player in the last couple of months.