Dundee boss Tony Docherty has floated the prospect that Vaclav Cerny was “maybe offside” before netting Rangers winner.
But the Sportscene panel have backed up the VAR team over their call at Ibrox – noting that the only error in the build-up was a mistimed moment from Dee defender Antonio Portales. It was a narrow win for Philippe Clement’s men after a week that had been dominated by conversations about the use of video technology following the penalty howler in the Premier Sports Cup defeat to Celtic.
Cerny – who was hauled down by Liam Scales during the Hampden incident – was at the centre of the talking points again. He looked to have beaten the offside trap at Ibrox before rounding Trevor Carson to net the decisive goal on Saturday and move Rangers second in the Scottish Premiership. Nick Walsh in the VAR room checked the goal against last man Portales before awarding the strike.
Looking back on the call, Docherty told Sky Sports: “Second half I’d asked the boys to be a wee bit braver in possession and I think we did that and I think we really gave Rangers a game. I’m really disappointed with the goal that we lose.
”I’ve not seen it back. I thought it was maybe offside. I don’t know. They’ve obviously checked it and it is obviously is onside going with the VAR decision.”
But the Sportscene panel were not having the case made by the boss. James McFadden said when looking back on the VAR check and Cerny strike: “When you commit so many bodies forward you leave yourself exposed at the back. Cerny is starting to really hit top form.”
Neil McCann interjected: “Should Portales drop off here?” McFadden responded: ‘When you look at how deep they were in the first half then you are asking to get more bodies forward.”
Stephen Thompson chimed in on the move from the defender: ‘You can see what he is trying to do, he just mistimes it horribly.” McFadden rounded off: ‘He does. That is the split second decisions that you make.”
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