Antonio Colak SHOULD have been sent off against PSV, according to former referee Des Roache. But ex-SPFL whistler Steve Conroy reckons that was balanced out by the penalty Rangers should have had for handball.
The Croatian striker netted his fourth goal in four games to haul Gio van Bronckhorst 's team level after Ibrahim Sangare opened the scoing - but the Dutch opponents felt he should have walked for attempting to slap Andre Ramalho as tensions flared.
He appeared to strike the Brazilian centre-back on the back of the head and Roache, a former grade one referee, reckons it was a "lucky" escape. He told the Get Involved Referee Podcast : “Quite frankly he was lucky to stay on the pitch. He’s made a striking motion. You talk about serious foul play and endangering an opponent, but you also talk about violent conduct. If you throw your arm out and hit someone on the back of the head, is that making a play for the ball?
“The two players had been at it all night – pushing and pulling. Colak had a great night and that’s four goals in his last four games. But he has taken a hell of a gamble.
“It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t land a blow – an attempt is the same as a strike. He did catch the player so he can consider himself a very lucky boy."
There was also an argument to be made that Rangers should have had a penalty in the first half when right-back Jordan Teze appeared to handle the ball in the area. And Conroy reckons Gers are right to feel aggrieved.
He said: “There was no great dissent to it, but it was a penalty. Teze’s arm was in a completely unnatural position, there is no doubt about that and there was no reason for him to be jumping in that manner for a ball like that coming into the area.
“The ball came off his arm, he was making himself big – it was a stupid thing to do in my opinion - and it was a clear penalty. VAR was there and I have absolutely no doubt they looked at it because it is incumbent upon them so they either agreed with the ref or decided it wasn’t a clear and obvious error and let it go with the referee’s call. But they’ve got that one wrong.
“If Rangers miss out on qualification by the tightest of margins then they will be absolutely spitting mad. We’re saying that Rangers should have had a penalty, but maybe the escape of Colak has evened things out.”
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