Where is VAR looking? Referee fails to show red card to Tagliafico for blatantly rough foul
Kenley Ward
Dailysports's expert
Lyon could have finished the first half with nine men.
Details: Tonight’s Europa League Round of 16 second leg between French side Lyon and Spain’s Celta was packed with controversial decisions in the first half—though, unfortunately, not with goals.
The flashpoint came when Lyon’s Argentine defender Nicolas Tagliafico committed a blatant foul, stamping with a straight leg onto Celta defender Javi Rueda’s ankle.
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Replays showed clearly that the foul was worthy of a straight red card, but the match referee, Irfan Pelto, completely ignored the incident—not even issuing a yellow.
The decision by the VAR officials was even more mystifying. They failed to alert Pelto about the possible foul and did not recommend a review of the incident.
This meant Lyon could have been down to nine men by halftime, as their central defender, Senegalese international Niakate, had already been sent off in the 19th minute for a similar challenge—lunging in with a straight leg on an opponent.
As things stand, the score remains 0-0. The previous meeting in Spain finished 1-1, adding even more intrigue to this tie.
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