OPINION: No goals not always a snooze fest

There are goalless draws, and then there are goalless draws.

What I mean by this slightly cryptic opening line is that there are the kind of goalless draws that make you want to remove your eyes (temporarily, it’s never THAT bad), so painful to your very soul having to endure the 90-plus minutes on show.

And then there is the type of goalless draw where you have to wonder exactly how neither side managed to hit the back of the net, so brilliant was the attacking play, and so plentiful were the opportunities for both teams.

The Carabao Cup final on Sunday between Chelsea and Liverpool was certainly in the latter category, a game which could have finished about 3-3 on another day, and which had no shortage of excitement, from chances missed, to brilliant goalkeeping, to “goals” ruled out by VAR by the thinnest of margins.

Was Van Dijk really interfering with play in the move that led to Joel Matip’s “goal”?

As a Chelsea fan, most definitely, but putting a neutral hat on as best I can, I would certainly have been upset if that had been ruled out if Chelsea had “scored” it.

Then again, exactly what part of Lukaku was offside in the “goal” he stuck in the net in extra time? His armpit hair? His breath?

It’s hard to tell from the replays, and if there is one main pity with VAR, it’s that the idea of the benefit of doubt going to the attacking player seems to have been entirely eliminated from the game.

The 21 penalites that went in during the shoot-out were the polar opposite of the chances spurned in 120 minutes, goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga this time certainly not proving a masterful specialist substitute for Thomas Tuchel, failing to save a single penalty, before skying his own effort into the heavens.

If it was disappointing to lose from a Chelsea perspective, it was a cracking game, and for the neutral it must have been an absolute feast.

One hopes Saturday’s Soweto derby produces a similar fun-fest, though immediately the atmosphere will be sucked out of the match due to a completely empty Orlando Stadium.

Wembley was a wonderful, fully-packed sight on Sunday, and while there are different rules in the United Kingdom, with a much higher vaccination rate allowing for crowds to return in full, it is a shame that the Premier Soccer League continue to dither to the extent that once again, not a single fan will be allowed to watch Pirates take on Chiefs.

Even a smattering of fans, in line with the government regulations, would liven up a game like this.

It also can’t be easy for the players to play a derby in front of no one, and while a packed stadium has never been a guarantee of an exciting derby, with a desire not to lose too often dominating the tactics on the day, defensive methods and an empty ground can only intensify the chances of a snooze-fest.

So we will sit in front of our television sets at 3.30pm on Saturday, but the likelihood of seeking temporary eye surgery is far more probable than a nation of eyes wild with excitement.