Kasper Hogh was denied his first Celtic goal in 15 games after a VAR review ruled out his strike against Kilmarnock, a decision pundits have described as "soft". The Dane thought he had opened the scoring at Celtic Park before the video assistant referee team intervened.
VAR Intervenes After Hogh's Strike
Hogh slotted the ball beyond Kilmarnock goalkeeper Nico Mantl in the first half of the narrow 1-0 win, but referee John Beaton was sent to the pitchside monitor by Grant Irvine and the VAR team. The officials adjudged German international Mika Baur to have fouled Rugby Park skipper Greg Kiltie in the middle of the park before slipping the ball forward to Camilo Duran, who teed up Hogh to score.
The decision to chop off the goal drew immediate criticism from pundits analysing the flashpoint.
Pundits Split on the Call
Simon Donnelly told Celtic TV it was a harsh call, stating: "At the time I thought he had won the ball, but he might get a touch on the Kilmarnock player's foot. I thought he had won the ball back brilliantly, it's soft. It's a fantastic team goal. I thought Baur had done brilliantly."
Speaking on BBC Sportsound, James McFadden flagged the response from Beaton as he examined the incident: "I mean it looked like he didn't even get to the monitor, maybe he didn't have to. When watching it live, it looked like a clean challenge and good play by Mika Baur. But it must have been pretty clear."
Peter Grant, however, told Celtic TV the match officials got the call right: "Everything was excellent about it. All the players were involved, Hogh was delighted - then it's here. It's a free-kick, he has not got the ball. I have got to be honest, if you don't get the ball then it's a free-kick - and it is a free-kick. We would be complaining if it was anyone else, but Baur does it that well I didn't notice it at the time. It's only when you see it in the replay."
