Celtic aggrieved at referee flashpoint in Europa League as lack of VAR intervention questioned by legend
Hoops were defeated 2-1 by Celta Vigo in league phase
Celtic are right to feel aggrieved about a refereeing decision that didn’t go their way in their Europa League defeat to Celta Viga, according to club legend Pat Bonner.
With the match at Celtic Park firmly in the balance at 0-0, Hoops winger Callum Osmand made a storming run towards the box and was pushed in the back by Celta defender Javi Ruega. The Parkhead faithful screamed for a penalty - but Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov waved play-on. Furthermore, German VAR Soren Storks saw no reason to intervene despite a potential denial of a goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO) or penalty kick situation.
After the hosts eventually lost the game 2-1, Celtic boss Martin O’Neill claimed it was an ‘obvious foul’ on the Welshman. Former goalkeeper Bonner echoes these thoughts and - alongside fellow BBC Sportsound Pundit James McFadden - thinks at the very least a free kick should’ve been awarded.
Bonner question VAR for Osmand incident
The Irishman said: "There is no way that was a dive. He is running at pace, the hand was on the back - he has almost pushed him over. Whether he is inside the box or outside the box I am not 100 per cent sure, but certainly for me that was a foul. Did he check it?
McFadden added: "It looked like a foul. Sam Johnstone pings a brilliant ball to Duran, who pings it around the corner for Osmand. He is driving at the heart of the defence for Rodriguez and is shaping as if he is going to cut back into his right foot. There is a recovering defender who pushes him, I am amazed. He is driving into the box. He does really well, Osmand."
O’Neill on ‘obvious foul on Osmand’
The veteran boss also felt aggrieved at a foul in the build-up to the Celta winner. On the night, four Celtic players were booked, as well as O’Neill while the visitors finished the match without caution. After the match, the Hoops gaffer expressed his frustrations. He said: “We conceded a free-kick but I thought that just seconds before that, we had a foul for us.
“The referee has disowned that and given them a foul about ten seconds later. The they score from the free-kick. I think it's a foul against Osmand in the first half. The referee says VAR were checking it. I don't know what they're checking because for me that's a very obvious foul."