Bobby Madden believes Kyogo was fortunate to get away with it following a rough collision with Ross Doohan of Aberdeen.
The onrushing Celtic attacker clattered Doohan, the stand-in keeper, who took a hard knock in the first few minutes. As the two fought for a loose ball inside the Dons penalty area, Kyogo’s knee struck the former Hoops player in the head. After recovering and playing the remainder of the game with a series of outstanding saves, brave Doohan was defeated by Reo Hatate’s late goal.
Despite the fact that the encounter with Kyogo seemed entirely coincidental, former SPFL referee Madden thinks that the Japanese player ought to have received a yellow card and even had the option to withdraw from the confrontation. On Instagram, he posted: “Yellow for me. careless and disrespectful of the opponent. The keeper is in possession, and I think there’s a chance to stay away from them.”
In his analysis of the three primary flashpoints from last night’s match on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, former Premier League whistler Dermot Gallagher had a different stance. Despite the Aberdeen crowd’s groans, Gallagher maintained that referee Don Robertson handled the situation appropriately by keeping his cards in his pocket.
“The referee has handled it really well because, as you can see, one player is going one way and another is coming the other way,” he remarked. There is no denying that they must both rush for the ball and that a collision is unavoidable. They are powerless to do anything. It doesn’t look good, but what can the referee do? I believe he has felt; it’s one of those situations where they come together.”
The winners-elect did put the ball in the net in the first half, but Paulo Bernardo’s devious corner was disallowed after Daizen Maeda pushed Doohan out of the way. As a result, Celts had to wait until the 78th minute to break the tie.
Gallagher expressed agreement with the result, saying: “Yeah. Is there enough if you look first and consider? However, the goalie has nowhere to go when Maeda truly backs into him. The goalie is incapable of punching. Before the ball entered the net, he did blow.
The Irishman, however, thought Graeme Shinnie was fortunate to escape a second yellow card for taking down substitute Arne Engels. “I think he gets lucky because of where the ball goes,” he continued. The touch is heavy if you watch. The referee simply gives a trip, in my opinion. He gives him the benefit of the doubt because he doesn’t believe he’s foiling a potential attack. Is it careless? Not in my opinion. Therefore, I believe that the second player has truly saved him.
