VAR questioned after missed Rangers penalty call as Celtic ace has rival saying 'thank god' after mind games

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was once again at the centre of the debate during Rangers’ 2-0 victory over St Johnstone.

A brace from Vaclav Cerny sealed the points for the Light Blues as they continued their recent resurgence in the Scottish Premiership, but the main talking point after the match was referee David Dickinson’s failure to award what looked to be a clear penalty appeal from Cyriel Dessers whose shirt was pulled at the back post by a St Johnstone defender.

Dickinson appeared to have a good view of the incident as the corner was played in but failed to point to the penalty spot while Video Assistant Referee duo Steve McLean and Dougie Potter also failed to get involved.

The Behind the Whistle’s referee podcast admitted that the on-field team got the decision wrong and went on to question the logic behind the failed decision.

They posted on X: “Again as with the prior tweet on the Motherwell and Hibs incident. It’s a penalty. We again have to question what instructions have been provided to VAR and Referees on shirt pulls as there’s not a reasonable explanation as to why VAR would not get involved.”

Rangers ultimately won the game comfortably as Ianis Hagi marked his long awaited return to the pitch by providing an assist for Cerny’s second of the game. However, the Romanian’s second half comeback didn’t go to plan as VAR stepped in to upgrade his high challenge from a yellow card to a red later in the contest.

Ross County star keeps his cool despite Kasper Schmeichel's ‘mind games’

New Ross County signing Ronan Hale continued his excellent start to life in Scottish football by tucking away a penalty against the champions during a highly competitive 2-1 home loss.

Hale showed nerves of steel after Schmeichel saved his first effort but was caught creeping off his line. There was no mistake for the re-hit and the striker was thrilled to get the better of the Dane despite attempts to psyche him out.

The 26-year-old told Record Sport:“I don’t know who did it (to the spot) but there was a lot of kicking around and there was a divot beside it. It was just all about getting a clean connection. Obviously there were some mind games going on, he was just talking about where I was going to put it and stuff.

“He (Schmeichel) guessed right the first time but the second time I think he just stood in the middle and it’s gone in the corner. So, thank God he did. It’s a 50-50 chance he can get his hand on it or it’s going in. Thankfully the second time I did it.”

Hale's recent form has made him a contender to represent Northern Ireland in the near future but at this stage Michael O’Neill’s side are yet to get his international clearance. The forward represented the Republic of Ireland five times at Under-21 level earlier in his career.