I watched a football match where a through ball hit a defender before reaching an attacker who had been in an offside position when the pass was made. The goal was disallowed, even though the defender was the last player to touch the ball before the attacker received it.
I thought an opponent’s touch could reset offside, but the commentary referred to deliberate play versus a deflection. How do referees tell the difference when a defender intentionally stretches for the ball but makes poor contact?
Does the defender need to control the ball, or is having a reasonable opportunity to play it enough? Also, is a deliberate save treated differently from an attempted interception? I’d appreciate a couple of contrasting examples rather than just the wording of the rule.
