An exasperated Michael O'Neill said his Northern Ireland side "feel hard done by" after another tight VAR call denied them a crucial point in Denmark.
Teenager Callum Marshall looked to have rescued his side a share of the spoils with a dream debut goal after coming off the bench late on in the Euro 2024 qualifier in Copenhagen.
But after an agonising lengthy wait the goal was chalked off as Jonny Evans, who knocked the ball down for Marshall to hook home, was deemed to be offside from Jordan Thompson's free kick.
Read next: Bumper crowds expected as Larne FC hosts White Collar Boxing event
Speaking after the game O'Neill questioned whether the offence was clear and obvious and insisted it was harsh on his injury-hit side who had frustrated the Group H top seeds for large parts of the game.
"We knew it would be difficult coming here, we had six Under-21 players on the pitch tonight playing against a very strong team," he said.
"At times you saw that a little bit in the physicality of the game, we lost a poor goal, but what we did do brilliantly was deny Denmark opportunities in the first half.
"Having lost that goal we did so well to stay in the game, we saw the best of Evans, Saville and McNair and the younger boys.
"They made sure we stayed in the game and didn't allow us to go further behind.
"We knew that if we got to the last 15 minutes we would possibly be able to create an opportunity and we did that.
"It's very harsh that we've been deprived of a point on a decision like that.
"We were deprived of a point against Finland with a borderline decision so you could say we are feeling a little bit hard done by at the minute.
"It should always go with the attacking team, that's the whole point of it.
"It's not there to disallow goals like that, it's to disallow clear and obvious things that the referee may miss.
"The referee didn't see that so we go back and look when the kick was taken, it's not clear in any of the footage I've seen that Jonny is offside.
"Clearly when the ball arrives at him and he heads it he's not offside so why would you go and look for that I have to say is a bit of a mystery for me."
O'Neill, who lost Jamal Lewis and Craig Cathcart ahead of the game in Copenhagen, will seek to lift his young players ahead of Monday night's home game against Kazakhstan.
"This is a young team, we're not thinking of a qualification at this moment in time," he said.
"We've really been unfortunate on this trip with injuries, but what we've got is a great spirit in this group of players.
"It was a great performance by our senior players and our young boys were terrific as well.
"Now we'll go and try and win the game on Monday night."
READ NEXT:
- Michael O'Neill backs Ethan Galbraith to make the right move
Lee Bonis' dreams come true as he looks to cap off incredible season in style
Cliftonville appeal to fans after some online posts have 'crossed the line'
Brendan Rodgers' earnings at each of his clubs as Celtic target nets huge sums
Sign up to our f ree sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox
