John McGinn sees historic run ended amid VAR controversy as Scotland teammate edges towards first trophy
Two Scotland internationals were in semi-final action on Thursday night.
Scotland talisman John McGinn had a night to forget as his Aston Villa side fell 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-final first leg at the City Ground on Thursday night.
McGinn, 31, captained the side as they looked to extend their record-breaking run of nine straight victories in the competition, but were undone by a 71st-minute penalty from Chris Wood. However, it wasn’t the New Zealand international’s goal that took the headlines, with Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery launching a scathing attack on VAR official Tiago Martins following the clash.
The visitors started the stronger of the two sides, with both Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers stinging the palms of Forest goalkeeper Stefan Ortega in the opening minutes of the clash, before Emi Martinez pulled off a miraculous save to deny Hutchinson just after the half-hour mark.
The game appeared to turn on the half-hour mark, though, when Villa were left incensed by a tackle from England midfielder Elliot Anderson. The 23-year-old slid in to try and dispossess Ollie Watkins, but as he did, he caught the forward directly on the ankle with his studs up, leaving his international teammate in considerable pain.
The Portuguese referee opted not to punish Anderson on the field, and while the decision went to a very brief review, VAR official Martins upheld the decision not to send off the midfielder. The video referee was involved again in the second half, although this time less controversially, when Omari Hutchinson’s cross was deemed to have been handled in the area by Lucas Digne, awarding the hosts their game-winning spot kick.
"The referee was fantastic, but the VAR was so bad," Emery told TNT Sports. “It's a clear red card. I watched it just now. I don't understand why the VAR is not calling the referee because it's so clear. I think it's a huge mistake. VAR is responsible. The referee was fantastic. He did a fantastic job and I appreciate a lot how he managed the match for 90 minutes.
“He could break his ankle. Wow. VAR, where are you? Please, it's your responsibility. You are professional, but you are doing very bad work because it was so clear for everybody. In football I work 20 years as a coach, sometimes decisions are tight. I am 100 per cent with VAR, but we must manage it good and in the right way. One action like that, there is no doubt. Where is VAR?"
Elsewhere, there was better news for one of McGinn’s international teammates, as Ryan Porteous took a major step towards the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup with his Los Angeles FC side with a 2-1 first-leg win over Toluca at the BMO Stadium.
The 27-year-old defender was recalled to the starting XI for the game after being left out of the 1-0 weekend victory over Minnesota United in the MLS Western Conference, and played the full 90 minutes of the clash as goals from Timmy Tillman and Nkosi Tafari handed the American outfit a narrow lead going into next weekend’s second leg in Mexico.
The Scottish Football Social Club is presented by BetSBK.com | 18+ | Gamble Responsibly
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.