VAR
Copa America: Ecuador ends Brazil’s winning run, qualify for quarterfinals
Brazil’s ten-game winning run came to an end after Ecuador earned a 1-1 draw in the final Copa America group game in Goiania. Coach Tite made ten changes from the midweek win over Colombia as Neymar, Casemiro, Thiago Silva and Richarlison were rested. The reigning champions had already booked their spot in the next round as group winners and Venezuela’s defeat to Peru, means Ecuador join Brazil in the final eight. And it was nearly the perfect start for Brazil as Renan Lodi broke clear down the left and looked to be bundled over inside the box within the opening minute. The referee and VAR disagreed. Brighton’s Moises Caicedo was then stretchered off on 17 minutes with a knee injury in a blow to Ecuador, with Angel Mena coming on. Then Ecuador skipper Enner Valencia came close to scoring t...
Euro 2020: Matthijs de Ligt takes blame for Netherlands elimination
Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt said he felt he was the player to blame for his team’s Euro 2020 last-16 exit after being sent off in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic. The Juventus centre-back was dismissed 10 minutes into the second half in Budapest for a deliberate handball after he was forced into an error by Czech striker Patrik Schick. As De Ligt fell to the ground he pushed the ball away from Schick to deny his opponent a goalscoring opportunity. He initially escaped with just a booking, but received a red card following a VAR review. “I had it under control. The ball came and I let it bounce. I fell to the ground and got pushed, which made me use my hands,” De Ligt told Dutch public broadcaster NOS. “The moment changed the game and I feel responsible. I saw how the guys...
Thomas Tuchel reacts as ‘unlucky’ Chelsea suffer back-to-back FA Cup final defeats
Chelsea suffered late VAR heartache as they slipped to back-to-back FA Cup final defeats after a 1-0 loss to Leicester City, Youri Tielemans’ second-half strike proving decisive. In front of a reduced, yet undoubtedly noisy, Wembley crowd, it was Chelsea who made the brighter start, Timo Werner showcasing his electric speed to test the Foxes backline early on. Despite controlling the opening exchanges, the first real chance of the match fell to their opponents, Timothy Castagne getting in down the right and teeing up Jamie Vardy inside the area, the veteran striker’s effort well blocked by Reece James. At the other end of the pitch, Thomas Tuchel’s men almost fashioned a chance of their own, Thiago Silva’s dinked cross agonisingly evading the head of Cesar Azpilicueta at the back post, aft...
West Brom thrash Southampton to boost survival hopes
West Bromwich Albion improved their slender hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League as they survived VAR controversy to beat Southampton 3-0 on Monday. Sam Allardyce’s side saw Mbaye Diagne’s goal questionably ruled out by VAR early in the first half at the Hawthorns. But they recovered from that blow to sweep into a two-goal lead by half-time thanks to Matheus Pereira’s penalty and a Matt Phillips strike. Callum Robinson sealed West Brom’s second successive win after the interval as the Baggies built on their stunning 5-2 victory at Chelsea. Second bottom Albion move within eight points of fourth bottom Newcastle with seven games left. The Baggies have scored eight goals in their last two games, two more than they had netted in their previous 11 combined, but their unexpected...
Manchester United rages at penalty talk as team draw another blank
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United are being negatively influenced by opposition managers referring to their penalty record after being denied a spot-kick in a 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday. United was furious that referee Stuart Attwell stuck to his original call not to award a penalty for handball by Callum Hudson-Odoi despite being asked to review the incident by VAR in the first-half. The Red Devils have been awarded 22 penalties in the Premier League since the start of last season, four more than any other club, which led Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to question why their sides failed to get the same treatment from officials. “It’s all these outside influences. That’s influencing referees,” said an unusually irate Solskjaer. “We’ve ...
Mikel Arteta: Arsenal, Manchester United electrifying moments no longer exist
Electrifying moments that always followed Arsenal, Manchester United matches are gradually fading away, according to Gunners boss, Mikel Arteta. Arteta spent five years as an Arsenal player and never featured on the winning side against United. But all the old animosities had gone by then and today’s encounter at an empty Emirates is sure to be played out in relative peace. Arteta admits: “It’s not only the Arsenal and Manchester United fixtures which have calmed down. “If you look at the way all the derbies used to get played, it’s not the same right now. “The game is evolving and we are educating the players in a different way. “For sure they are not allowed to get away with some of the things they used to do 20 years ago and with VAR that’s even less. “The game is much more controlled a...
Jurgen Klopp: I thought VAR was a good idea, but now I’m not so sure
Jurgen Klopp admits he may have changed his mind about the need for VAR in football, after another incident-filled match for his Liverpool side in the Champions League. The Reds’ 1-1 draw with Danish champions FC Midtjylland on Wednesday saw a number of interventions from the video assistant referee. First Midtjylland were awarded a penalty for a foul by Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher on Anders Dreyer. The forward had initially been flagged offside by the assistant referee but replays showed, eventually at least, that he had been onside, though there was a lengthy delay as the referee headed to the pitchside monitor to rule on Kelleher’s subsequent challenge. Andreas Scholz converted from the spot to equalise for the home side after Mohamed Salah had opened the scoring. There was m...
Juventus hit back to beat Torino
Juventus came from behind to beat Torino 2-1 on Sunday with US midfielder Weston McKennie among the scorers for the first time since he joined the Italian champions on loan. McKennie’s close-range header on 78 minutes put Juve level after Nicolas Nkoulou had given Torino a first-half advantage. After McKennie’s equaliser, Leonardo Bonucci produced an 89th-minute winner to lift Juve to second in the table, three points behind AC Milan who visit Sampdoria on Sunday. Inter Milan can overtake Juve by beating Bologna in Saturday’s late match. Before the game in Turin, Cristiano Ronaldo was presented with a special jersey commemorating his 750th career goal. But Ronaldo played a supporting role for once as 22-year-old McKennie, on loan from German club Schalke 04, scored a first Serie A goal and...
Nuno Espírito Santo wants handball ‘consistency’ after Wolves defeat
Nuno Espírito Santo expressed frustration with the current handball law after his Wolves side lost 1-0 at Leicester. Jamie Vardy converted a 15th-minute penalty after Max Kilman was adjudged to have committed an offence inside his own area. Most neutral observers felt that Kilman was hard done by, though there was also general acceptance that referee Anthony Taylor was bound by the most recent interpretation of the law to point to the spot. Speaking after the game, Nuno was wary of criticising the decision. “The referee saw it, but I don’t know. This situation is very difficult to analyse,” the Portugal native said, per the official Wolves website. “It’s not fair to say if it’s the right decision because VAR is not being consistent.” Nuno admitted that the situation has left him at a loss ...
Jose Mourinho slams VAR influence for Liverpool derby, Manchester City win
Jose Mourinho has slammed VAR after incidents in the Merseyside derby and Manchester City’s win over Porto in the Champions League. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was not sent off after a horrible tackle on Virgil van Dijk, while Ilkay Gundogan escaped punishment after fouling Porto goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin. Tottenham boss Mourinho thinks both players should have been sent off and wants changes made to the VAR system. “I think the attention [the incidents have received] is based on the fact that there is a VAR. Without VAR, the situations on the pitch happen and the human being, the referee, makes mistakes,” Mourinho said. “And you know me for quite a few years – it was difficult for me to accept the human mistakes but I learned and in this moment, I always accept the referee’s mis...
Super Eagles star helps Villarreal extend unbeaten run vs Cadiz
Samuel Chukwueze was in action as Villarreal played out a 0-0 draw against Cadiz in Sunday’s La Liga game. The 21-year-old has featured consistently for Unai Emery’s men in the 2020-21 campaign and against Alvaro Cervera’s charges, the winger was handed his seventh league appearance. The Nigeria international gave a good account of himself during the time he spent on the pitch to help the Yellow Submarine extend their unbeaten run to five games across all competitions. The game started with both sides aiming to outwit each other but despite their efforts, they failed to find the back of the net. The best chance of the game fell to Alvaro Negredo in the seventh minute of the encounter and he hit the back of the net, but the strike was ruled out for offside by the Video Assistant Referee (VA...
Ronald Koeman slams VAR after El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman was left frustrated at full time as his side slipped to a 3-1 El Clasico defeat at home to Real Madrid. Ansu Fati cancelled out Federico Valderde’s early goal at the Camp Nou but referee Juan Martinez Munuero’s decision to award a second half penalty turned the game on its head. The experienced official agreed with VAR and awarded a penalty in favour of Sergio Ramos after the Spanish international was pulled down by Clement Lenglet. However the home side were angered by the decision, as Ramos converted to make it 2-1, before substitute Luka Modric added a third goal late on. “We played well and created chances in the game. We did not deserve to lose and some of the referee’s decisions, I did not understand,” he told a post match interview with Marca. “The de...
- 1
- 2
