Opinions may be influenced by the injury to Isak but it does not have to be the result of foul play – it can simply be an unfortunate consequence.
It is important to look at how Van de Ven makes the challenge, and also how Isak comes to sustain the injury.
As Isak releases the shot, Van de Ven slides in to try to make a block.
Crucially, it is Isak’s shooting foot that gets injured after he plants it.
The foot lands between Van de Ven’s legs, and that is how the Sweden striker’s injury appears to happen.
Had Van de Ven gone through Isak’s standing foot or tackled his opponent directly this would have been a different discussion.
But Van de Ven goes to make a block into the space in front of Isak. It was a genuine challenge and should not be seen as a red card.
That does not mean a defender cannot be sent off if they try to stop a shot and clatter into an attacker.
We can look at the double leg fracture sustained by Manchester United’s Luke Shaw in a Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven in 2015.
Shaw had burst into the area to take a shot when Hector Moreno crashed into him, taking his standing foot away in a scissors tackle.
It came in the days before VAR, so Moreno did not even concede a penalty let alone get a red card. But it is exactly the kind of blocking tackle which should see a player sent off now.
Van de Ven’s challenge, however, appears to be an accidental collision as part of a normal defensive action.
