Colombia vs England: 5 Talking Points as England Advance on Penalties, World Cup 2018

#3 Wilmar Barrios escapes serious punishment for a headbutt

Barrios headbutted Henderson in the first half but wasn't sent off

With five minutes to go in the first half, Colombia were very lucky not to go down to 10 men. An off-the-ball incident sparked a melee in the box when England had won a free-kick and the prime instigator Wilmar Barrios was not sent off.

As the referee tried to ensure Colombia's wall was behind the line, Jordan Henderson tried to park himself at the end of the wall. Colombia were still trying to adjust their wall when Barrios saw Henderson refusing to budge and immediately headbutted him in the chest and chin.

Although Henderson did make a meal of it, it saw tempers flare and the referee had to consult VAR as he had not seen the incident while setting up the wall. And when the decision was finally made, it was only a yellow card.

"A player who, when not challenging for the ball, deliberately strikes an opponent or any other person on the head or face with the hand or arm, is guilty of violent conduct unless the force used was negligible." - Law 12 on Fouls and Misconduct

In such cases, violent conduct is a red card offence. Just a mere caution for Barrios was met with utter disbelief.

Henderson goes down after Barrios' headbutt

Although fans wondered why a penalty wasn't given, it was because the ball was not in play. Had he headbutted him while the free-kick was being taken, that would have been a penalty.