VAR confusion for coaches
Mark Rudan and Ernie Merrick have voiced their confusion about the Video Assistant Referee.
The Wellington Phoenix and Newcastle Jets coaches watched on in disbelief as the VAR played a big part in the Phoenix’s 2-1 win at Westpac Stadium in Wellington yesterday.
In the 60th minute, Phoenix forward Sarpreet Singh bundled the ball into the net from close range. The goal was originally awarded by referee Daniel Elder, but he went to the Video Assistant Referee screen and reversed his decision, adjudging Singh to have handled the ball. He then added salt to the Phoenix’s wounds by showing Singh a yellow card, adjudging the hand ball as deliberate.
Then in the final two minutes, the Phoenix had a penalty awarded after the intervention of the VAR.
It was a confusing situation where two different replays were shown, with the second replay showing Phoenix midfielder Mitch Nichols brought down in the box during a corner.
Roy Krishna stepped up for the penalty, having his initial effort saved by Jets goalkeeper Glen Moss before tapping home the follow up in the 90th minute to secure the win. The goal helped Krishna equal Paul Ifill’s record as the leading scorer for the club with 33. Had the penalty not been awarded, Dimi Petratos’ injury time goal for the Jets would have been an equaliser rather than a consolation goal.
Rudan was still somewhat in the dark post-match as to why the first goal was disallowed.
‘‘It was tough the first one when I asked for an explanation. They basically said it was ball to hand, but the one before that I thought it hit [Jets defender Nikolai] Topor-Stanley on the hand as well, so that could have gone either way.
‘‘I thought that’s what they were looking at, Topor-Stanley’s hand ball. When I spoke to the fourth official, he wasn’t quite sure either.
‘‘It is quite confusing, it does take a little bit away from the game, because it’s a long pause and I feel for the fans because of that long pause too.’’
Merrick agreed with Rudan about the first goal.
‘‘If it touched his arm it was really incidental. I didn’t see anything wrong with that, but we got the rub of the green there.’’
That was where the agreement ended.
‘‘We were trying to work out why there was another VAR decision when the referee had let the play go on,’’ Merrick said.
‘‘It seems as though Kaine Sheppard, apparently, was supposed to have pushed Mitch Nichols in the back.
‘‘The ball was nowhere near and he [Nichols] didn’t claim for anything, but it seems to work out well if you fall over.
‘‘The actual technology is good, but we have to look at how we operate it a bit more.’’
Rudan said he felt the penalty decision was correct.
‘‘I thought it was pretty clear, Mitch getting dragged and held,’’ Rudan said.
Earlier, the Phoenix had another piece of good fortune when Jets defender Daniel Georgievski sent a header into his own net.
But on the balance of the game, they deserved their win, looking good on the counter in the second half, carving out a number of good scoring opportunities.
Wellington Phoenix 2 (Daniel Georgievski 32’ (own goal), Roy Krishna 90’) Newcastle Jets 1 (Dimi Petratos 90’+). HT: 1-0