What a nail-biter for those watching neutrally, but for the passionate Celtic fans, yesterday’s penalty-packed match against Aberdeen was nothing short of heart-stopping.
After falling behind to an early Bojan Miovski goal, two VAR penalty checks against Celtic, two last-minute equalizers in regulation and extra time, and a nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out with both Joe Hart missing and saving proved to be a rollercoaster of emotions for Hoops supporters.
However, Aberdeen defender Angus MacDonald was left fuming after a controversial handball incident involving Scales was deemed not worthy of a penalty due to being outside the box. MacDonald voiced his frustration post-match, stating, “It was clearly a handball and I will be letting him know that – although I’m sure he’s aware. If it wasn’t in the box then fine, but if it was, he’s gotten away with one!”
While many felt that even if the handball was within the penalty area, awarding a penalty would have been overly harsh, it’s not uncommon for decisions to go against Celtic. The memory of the recent VAR controversy against Hearts, where Brendan Rodgers received a touchline ban for speaking out against John Beaton and SFA officials, still lingered.
Ultimately, the correct decision was made in this case, with VAR seemingly getting it right and not impacting the final outcome of the match.
