Celtic hero Neil Lennon has blasted the VAR penalty call against his Omonia Nicosia side as 'beyond belief'.
The former Hoops boss watched on as his side went down 3-0 in their Europa League opener against FC Sheriff in Cyprus. The visitors got off to the perfect start by finding the net inside two minutes to silence the home support. Ibrahim Akanbi Rasheed was the man to open the scoring.
Ten minutes into the second period Iyayi Believe Atiemwen netted from the spot to push the visitors further ahead. That decision to award a spot-kick infuriated Lennon, who accused the officials making the decisions of 'never playing football', as he could not understand how it could be deemed a deliberate handball. Mouhamed Diop added a third with less than 15 minutes to play to rub further salt into the wounds. Ex-Celtic defender Adam Matthews played the full 90 minutes of the defeat.
Sign up to Glasgow Live newsletter for more headlines straight to your inbox
READ MORE: Celtic hero Neil Lennon suffers Omonia Europa League nightmare in group stage opener
Former Parkhead gaffer Lennon believes it was a disappointing result for his side. But says it is fantastic for his new club to be a part of the Europa League group stage with huge games with Manchester United and Real Sociedad to come in the section.
Speaking after the game, he said: "It's a disappointing result. I think 3-0 is unfair on Omonia, but that's the harsh reality of football at this level.
"We started the game very poorly and concede a very poor goal. We give ourselves a lot of work to do, but played well towards the end of the first half.
"But the VAR decision for the penalty is beyond belief.
"I don't understand it, and the people that make these decisions have never played football because it's impossible for that to be a deliberate handball.
"A lot of the players are new to this level. There is still five games to go in the group and it's fantastic to be a part of it."
READ NEXT:
- Ange Postecoglou praises Celtic fans as he delivers 'special club' verdict after Real Madrid test
- Michael Owen and the Celtic Park element that left him 'absolutely frightened' during rare visit
- Three things we learned from Celtic vs Real Madrid as holders teach big stage lesson in opener
- Celtic player ratings v Real Madrid as two Hoops stars shine amid Los Blancos European masterclass
- Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti in Celtic Park praise as he predicts Euro struggle for visitors
