Rangers were left frustrated by a contentious officiating decision against Motherwell that caused confusion among players and commentators alike.
Jack Butland’s standout performance in goal helped Rangers keep a clean sheet and edge out Motherwell 1-0 at Ibrox, with Thelo Aasgaard scoring the decisive goal. However, the match could have taken a different turn when Nico Raskin believed he had opened the scoring, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside after a delayed decision.
The incident occurred early in the second half when Djeidi Gassama pulled the ball back and Raskin finished into what appeared to be an open net. Celebrations were cut short as referee David Dickinson halted play, despite uncertainty over whether the assistant referee had initially flagged for offside.
At the moment Raskin struck the ball, Youssef Chermiti had moved beyond the last defender and was positioned close to goalkeeper Calum Ward. The Portuguese forward appeared to obstruct the keeper’s attempt to recover across his goal line, and the officials judged this to constitute an offside offence, even though it was unclear whether Ward would have been able to make a save.
Rangers players seemed unsure of the ruling, while BBC Radio Scotland commentators Kevin Thomson and Stuart McCall were also left puzzled. Thomson suggested the decision may have been due to Chermiti obstructing the goalkeeper from an offside position, before reacting with surprise as the goal was officially disallowed. McCall admitted he struggled to understand the call, noting it appeared to be a clear cut-back.
As discussion continued, Thomson questioned whether the ball had gone out of play, given the assistant referee’s distance from the incident. McCall added that Chermiti himself appeared unsure whether he had been penalised, while both pundits noted a lack of protest from Motherwell players.
Former FIFA referee and ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett, however, was unequivocal in his assessment. After reviewing the footage, Hackett stated that the decision to disallow the goal for offside was correct, adding that the replays made the call relatively straightforward. He suggested the confusion on BBC commentary likely stemmed from the lack of immediate access to those angles.
Chermiti’s involvement in the incident added to scrutiny of his performance. It was something of a surprise to see him start ahead of Bojan Miovski, who has found some form in recent weeks. While Chermiti began the match brightly, he struggled to pose a genuine goal threat.
That the striker ended up having more influence in preventing a Rangers goal than scoring one himself summed up a difficult spell in Glasgow. With Rangers reportedly open to moving him on in January, his half-season at Ibrox could yet prove to be a short and disappointing one.
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