Kelechi Iheanacho found himself at the core of a extremely questionable handball ruling as the Portuguese side secured a two-goal triumph over Celtic. The African attacker looked to have equalized the score in the fifty-first minute, only for the effort to be ruled out by match authorities.
Equalizer Canceled Amid Hand contact Controversy
Iheanacho had seized a poor pass from a dead ball to block a defensive clearance from former Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke before slotting the ball home. TV recordings evidently showed the ball making contact with the attacker's facial area, with absolutely no apparent evidence of hand contact. Despite this, the video assistant upheld the original decision after an lengthy examination.
Match referee Tobias Stieler gave the first ruling, with VAR assistant Christian Dingert upholding the questionable decision.
Celtic's Frustrating Night
During a end-to-end final half, Celtic pushed for an leveler, with efforts from Kieran Tierney and Sebastian Tounekti being saved by fine goalkeeping. The hosts eventually ended up with just one point earned from their opening two games after Gabri Martínez finished from close range with 5 minutes left.
- Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel experienced a challenging evening, losing possession several times.
- Ricardo Horta's long-range effort in the 20th minute curved unexpectedly, surprising Schmeichel unprepared.
- Defenders Liam Scales and Kieran Tierney produced important interceptions to hold Braga at bay.
Exciting Spot-kick Sequence of events in Lille vs Roma Clash
In another Europa League match, the French outfit secured a one-nil win over the Italian side thanks to a first-half finish from Hákon Arnar Haraldsson. The French club took advantage of an early-match error to grab the lead after just six minutes.
The match reached a thrilling climax when Roma were granted a late penalty after a handball by Aïssa Mandi. Unbelievably, Lille keeper Berke Özer stopped three consecutive penalty efforts in the closing stages.
- Artem Dovbyk's original spot-kick was stopped, but the official demanded a second attempt due to the goalkeeper moving early.
- Dovbyk's follow-up effort was once more denied by Özer, who again moved prematurely.
- A third penalty was taken by Matías Soulé, but Özer pulled off a further superb denial to secure the victory.
Debated calls and intense penalty denials characterized an eventful evening in the Europa League.
