GC struggles with the video referee in Luzern. As new TV pictures show, the second penalty for the home team should never have been awarded.
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- FC Luzern are awarded two penalties in three minutes against GC, but only score the second.
- But this should never have happened. New TV pictures show this.
- Refereeing expert Bruno Grossen can only partially explain the decision on blue Sport: "I think the VAR was a little impatient."
In the match between Lucerne and GC, events come thick and fast at the start of the second half. In the 54th minute, GC defender Noah Persson accidentally hits the ball on the arm in the penalty area. A clear-cut penalty.
Adrian Grbic runs up and fails to beat GC goalkeeper Justin Hammel. The Hoppers breathe a sigh of relief - but only for a few seconds. Because just three minutes later, referee Johannes von Mandach points to the spot again. Handball again! This time Dirk Abels was the unlucky one.
At least that's what the VAR believes, because without his intervention, von Mandach would not have pointed to the spot. The referee looks at the scene on the screen and shortly afterwards awards the penalty kick. This time, Rrudhani stepped up and scored to make it 2:0 for Luzern.
But as TV footage later shows, the ball was not actually on Abels' arm. A mistake by the VAR?
Refereeing expert Grossen: "I don't understand this decision"
"I think the VAR was a bit impatient. I have the feeling he thought the ball was on his hand. But the ball was on his thigh," analyzed referee expert Bruno Grossen in the blue Sport studio.
Grossen confirms what can be clearly seen as a spectator on the TV images: "I simply don't see the ball touching the hand. I have the impression that the thigh deflects the ball slightly. The VAR should only intervene if he sees without a doubt that the referee made a mistake, i.e. that the ball touched his hand. I don't see that. I don't understand this decision."
Bitter for GC. Although the Zurich side were already 1-0 down at the time of the penalty decision, they had to chase an even bigger deficit. The game in the Swissporarena ended 2:0 for Lucerne.
