What must a referee do when a player denies a goal-scoring opportunity with a legitimate but slightly late challenge in their own penalty area?

When a player denies a goal-scoring opportunity through a legitimate, albeit slightly late challenge within their own penalty area, the appropriate action is to award a penalty kick to the opposing team. This is because the foul occurs within the penalty area where the defender has impeded the attacking player's opportunity to score.

In addition to awarding the penalty kick, the referee must also consider the nature of the foul. Since the challenge was deemed to be legitimate, albeit late, a yellow card is the correct disciplinary action. This indicates that the player has committed a cautionable offense, which can occur even when the challenge does not involve excessive force or a reckless nature. This approach balances the need to maintain the game's fairness with the acknowledgment that the challenge, while resulting in a foul, did not meet the criteria for a serious misconduct that would warrant a red card.

In summary, the decision to award a penalty kick along with a yellow card serves to address the infringement while also managing player behavior by highlighting the seriousness of denying a goal-scoring opportunity.