'Awful' & 'ridiculous' - but was VAR really to blame for Celtic defeat?

Kelechi Iheanacho called it "an atrocious decision". Team-mate Sebastian Tounekti said it was "crazy". Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart went pinch "ridiculous".

Manager Brendan Rodgers bemoaned what was a "huge moment" erstwhile Celtic had an Iheanacho extremity ruled retired early successful nan 2nd half against Sporting Braga.

The Nigerian thought he had equalised for nan location broadside erstwhile he fired a left-footed onslaught into nan acold area aft bursting done a anemic protect challenge.

However, aft a lengthy review, referee Tobias Stieler's telephone to disallow nan extremity because of a handball, contempt replays appearing to show nan shot hitting Iheanacho successful nan face, stood.

"The shot didn't deed my hand, and that changed nan game," Iheanacho said.

Add successful a mates of fantabulous saves by Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek and nan vexation is possibly understandable.

But passim nan game, Celtic made errors of their own.

On 20 minutes, Ricardo Horta's onslaught from 33 yards fizzed and dipped towards Kasper Schmeichel's goal, but nan knowledgeable Danish goalkeeper flapped astatine it and was near sprawled connected nan turf arsenic nan visiting Braga players celebrated nan opener.

Another protect messiness successful nan 2nd half resulted successful Dane Murray's attempted clearance ricocheting disconnected Gabri Martinez and into nan backmost of nan net.

It wasn't overmuch amended going guardant for Rodgers' side, who played overmuch of nan 2nd half pinch past season's apical scorer - Daizen Maeda - astatine correct wing-back.

Celtic grounded to people for nan 5th clip successful 12 games this play - nan aforesaid number successful which they drew a blank successful nan entirety of past season.

Is it excessively simplistic to constituent to nan disallowed extremity arsenic grounds of Celtic's misfortunes, aliases were they conscionable 2nd champion against nan broadside seventh successful Portugal's apical flight?

Rodgers went to a backmost 3 astatine half-time successful an effort to find a spark, pinch Maeda dropping into a deeper domiciled and Marcelo Saracchi replacing Colby Donovan.

Celtic did amended and erstwhile Iheanacho hit Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek, nan hosts were nan broadside connected top.

That momentum was halted by a prolonged VAR check, nan result of which was incomprehensible to astir - if not each - astatine Parkhead.

Former Celtic title-winning goalkeeper Joe Hart - connected commentary duties pinch TNT Sports - was successful nary uncertainty nan extremity would beryllium fixed astatine nan clip of nan incident.

"There's VAR checking for handball trying to ruin everyone's fun, but no, it comes disconnected his head," Hart said astatine nan time.

"What could they perchance beryllium waiting for? They must beryllium seeing a different replay to me. What are we wasting our clip for? This is ridiculous.

"I presume there's a bad wi-fi relationship because that tin beryllium nan only logic we aren't getting connected pinch this crippled astatine 1-1."

But soon enough, Stieler was explaining that nan extremity was being disallowed.

Speaking afterwards, those successful nan Celtic campy were conscionable arsenic confused. "It was ne'er a handball, it's crazy that nan referee disallowed that," Tounekti said.

"We watched nan video complete again and I said to Kele astir it. I'm really willing successful what VAR saw because that was ne'er a handball.

"I deliberation if that extremity stood we would triumph nan crippled 100%."

Rodgers, too, was astatine a nonaccomplishment astatine really nan officials reached nan verdict they did.

"There's perfectly nary way, immoderate measurement you look astatine it, [Iheanacho] has touched it [with his hand]," nan Celtic head said. "That's a immense infinitesimal successful nan game."

Much of nan post-match attraction was connected nan non-goal, but Schmeichel's correction handed nan inaugural to Braga.

Horta's changeable had an expected-goals worth of conscionable 0.027, but it evaded nan 38-year-old's goalkeeper's grasp.

"He'll beryllium really disappointed pinch it," Rodgers said. "It's a bully onslaught and it's evidently moved a small bit, but I haven't spoken to him astir it."

Beyond nan protect errors, this was yet different crippled wherever Celtic person grounded to occurrence this term.

Maeda is being played retired of position to accommodate Tounekti, while each midfield operation Rodgers has tried has lacked cutting separator and energy.

They were incapable to break down Kazakh broadside Kairat Almaty complete three-and-a-half hours arsenic they dropped retired of nan Champions League.

And this is nan fewest matches into a run successful which Celtic person had 5 games without scoring since nan 1991-92 season.

Supporters person highlighted nan perceived deficiency of transportation ambition successful nan summer.

But Celtic's struggles agelong backmost to February, erstwhile they ran Bayern Munich adjacent earlier being knocked retired of nan Champions League.

Since then, they person grounded to triumph 12 of 27 matches successful each competitions.

"It was a mediocre Celtic performance," erstwhile Scotland guardant James McFadden said connected Sportsound. "Lacking quality, thing we're not utilized to seeing pinch Celtic.

"I deliberation nan alteration of style astatine half-time helped a small bit, but successful nan extremity Braga deserved nan win."

Defensive errors and a deficiency of attacking value is seldom a winning combination.

"Not capable intent for me," erstwhile Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner said. "Keeping nan shot fine, moving it around, but not capable existent intent successful that last third.

"Not capable to take sides and big, large mistakes from Schmeichel."