Kelechi Iheanacho expressed his bewilderment following the decision to disallow his second-half goal.
Kelechi Iheanacho described the call as “an awful decision,” while teammate Sebastian Tounekti deemed it “crazy.” Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart labeled it “ridiculous.”
Manager Brendan Rodgers lamented the disallowed goal as a “huge moment” that occurred early in the second half of Celtic’s match against Sporting Braga.
The Nigerian forward believed he had equalized for the home side after unleashing a left-footed strike into the far corner, capitalizing on a breakthrough following a challenge on a defender.
However, after a prolonged review, VAR official Christian Dingert instructed referee Tobias Stieler to disallow the goal due to an alleged handball, despite replays indicating the ball may have struck Iheanacho in the face.
“The ball didn’t hit my hand, and that changed the game,” Iheanacho stated, voicing his disagreement with the decision.
Coupled with several impressive saves by Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek, the frustration within the Celtic camp was palpable.
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Nevertheless, Celtic’s own errors throughout the match contributed to their defeat.
In the 20th minute, Ricardo Horta’s strike from 33 yards out swerved towards Kasper Schmeichel’s goal. The experienced Danish goalkeeper mishandled the shot, landing sprawled on the turf as Braga celebrated the opening goal.
Another defensive lapse in the second half resulted in Dane Murray’s attempted clearance ricocheting off Gabri Martinez and into the net.
Celtic’s attacking play was also lackluster, with last season’s top scorer, Daizen Maeda, deployed at right wing-back for a significant portion of the second half.
Celtic have now failed to score in five of their 12 games this season, matching their total number of scoreless matches from the entirety of the previous season.
Was the disallowed goal a pivotal moment of misfortune for Celtic, or were they simply outplayed by Braga, who currently sit seventh in Portugal’s top division?
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Rodgers vows to end Celtic’s goal scoring troubles
Rodgers implemented a three-at-the-back formation at halftime, aiming to inject some spark into his team, with Maeda moving into a deeper role and Marcelo Saracchi replacing Colby Donovan.
Celtic showed improvement, and when Iheanacho managed to beat Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek, the hosts appeared to be gaining momentum.
However, this momentum was abruptly halted by a prolonged VAR check, the outcome of which was puzzling to most, if not all, at Parkhead.
Former Celtic title-winning goalkeeper Joe Hart, who was on commentary duties with TNT Sports, was confident that the goal would stand.
“There’s VAR checking for handball trying to ruin everyone’s fun, but no, it comes off his head,” Hart commented during the review.
“What could they possibly be waiting for? They must be seeing a different replay to me. What are we wasting our time for? This is ridiculous.
“I presume there’s a bad wi-fi connection because that can be the only reason we aren’t getting on with this game at 1-1.”
Shortly thereafter, Stieler signaled that the goal was being disallowed.
Speaking after the game, members of the Celtic camp expressed similar confusion. “It was never a handball, it’s crazy that the referee disallowed that,” Tounekti said.
“We watched the video over again and I spoke to Kele about it. I’m really interested in what VAR saw because that was never a handball.
“I think if that goal stood we would win the game 100%.”
Rodgers also struggled to understand the officials’ decision-making process.
“There’s absolutely no way, whatever way you look at it, [Iheanacho] has touched it [with his hand],” the Celtic manager stated. “That’s a huge moment in the game.”
While the disallowed goal dominated post-match discussions, Schmeichel’s error was undeniably a turning point that gave Braga the upper hand.
Horta’s shot had an expected-goals value of just 0.027, yet it eluded the grasp of the 38-year-old goalkeeper.
“He’ll be really disappointed with it,” Rodgers said. “It’s a good strike and it’s obviously moved a little bit, but I haven’t spoken to him about it.”
Beyond the defensive blunders, this match marked yet another instance this season where Celtic’s attacking play has lacked potency.
Maeda is being deployed out of position to accommodate Tounekti, while every midfield combination that Rodgers has experimented with has lacked both cutting edge and energy.
They failed to break down Kazakh side Kairat Almaty over three-and-a-half hours as they dropped out of the Champions League.
This is also the earliest point in a campaign in which Celtic have gone five games without scoring since the 1991-92 season.
Supporters have voiced concerns about the perceived lack of ambition in the summer transfer window.
However, Celtic’s struggles date back to February, when they competed closely against Bayern Munich before being eliminated from the Champions League.
Since then, they have failed to win 12 of 27 matches in all competitions.
“It was a poor Celtic performance,” former Scotland forward James McFadden said on Sportsound. “Lacking quality, something we’re not used to seeing with Celtic.
“I think the change of shape at half-time helped a little bit, but in the end Braga deserved the win.”
Defensive errors coupled with a lack of attacking quality rarely results in a winning formula.
“Not enough intent for me,” former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner observed. “Keeping the ball fine, moving it around, but not enough real intent in that final third.
“Not able to defend and big, big mistakes from Schmeichel.”
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