NafisaCeltic enjoyed a hugely positive night at Tannadice on Saturday, comfortably defeating Dundee United 4-0 to book their place in the next round of the Premier Sports Cup.
Martin O’Neill’s side were clinical when it mattered, although the scoreline perhaps flattered the visitors slightly given Dundee United’s remarkable luck in front of goal.
The hosts struck the woodwork five times, but Celtic made their opportunities count at the other end to secure an emphatic victory.
There were plenty of positives for O’Neill and his coaching staff, including competitive debuts for new arrivals Haissem Hassan and Benjamin Baur ahead of Wednesday’s crucial Champions League meeting with LASK.
However, the game was not without controversy, with Celtic’s third goal becoming the subject of a lengthy VAR check.
Willie Collum explains controversial Celtic goal:
Camilo Duran scored his first competitive goal for Celtic during the victory, but there were questions over a possible handball in the build-up.
The ball appeared to strike the arm of Celtic attacker Kieran Tierney? Actually, the incident involved the Celtic attacker before another player finished the move, prompting VAR to review the situation.
The stadium announcement confirmed that VAR were checking the incident for a potential foul on the Dundee United defender.
After reviewing the footage, referee and VAR officials decided that there was no foul and that the contact with the Celtic player’s arm did not constitute a punishable handball.
That decision has now been backed by Willie Collum, the Scottish FA’s Head of Referees.
In a statement to Premier Sports, Collum explained exactly why the goal was allowed to stand.
“The entire incident was checked, including the handball.
“The ball clearly strikes the hand of the Celtic attacker, however this is not a punishable handball as it is a consequence of his playing action and is completely accidental.
“The laws of the game are clear regarding handball and an immediate goal being scored. The offence only applies when the player who handled the ball is the one who subsequently scores.
“As another attacker scored, this provision does not apply.”
The explanation is likely to end much of the debate surrounding the decision, even if it will not necessarily satisfy everyone who questioned the goal.
Collum addresses Falkirk comparison
The incident was also compared at half-time with the controversial goal involving Falkirk during the opening week of the Premiership season.
Collum acknowledged the comparison but insisted the two situations were fundamentally different.
“We note that at half time this was compared to the Falkirk disallowed goal from week one (in the Premiership). The VAR deemed that handball to be punishable by law.
“In our opinion however, these are completely different incidents and should be considered comparable.”
The key distinction is that the Celtic player who made accidental contact with the ball did not subsequently score the goal himself.
Under the handball laws, that distinction is crucial.
Celtic can focus on LASK
With the controversy now clarified, Celtic can turn their full attention towards Wednesday night.
O’Neill will be delighted with the way his side handled Dundee United, particularly given the number of new players still adapting to his methods.
Hassan and Baur were both given their first competitive appearances after arriving at the club this week, and both could now be considered for involvement against LASK.
Celtic will need to be considerably more clinical in Europe, but their 4-0 victory provides plenty of momentum heading into the Champions League play-off.
The five occasions Dundee United hit the woodwork also serve as a reminder that Celtic will need to improve defensively, but ultimately O’Neill will care little about how the opposition’s chances went in.
His team scored four, kept a clean sheet and progressed.
And as far as the controversial goal is concerned, Collum’s explanation makes the situation fairly straightforward: the handball was accidental, the player who handled the ball did not score, and the officials followed the laws of the game.
Nafisa
