Neil Lennon Backs Referee’s Decision to Disallow Celtic Goal Against Aberdeen
Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Paulo Bernardo’s disallowed goal against Aberdeen, stating that referee Don Robertson made the correct decision. Lennon, who was providing punditry analysis for Sky Sports, claimed that Daizen Maeda’s contact with goalkeeper Ross Doohan was unnecessary and warranted the free-kick award.
Lennon explained, “Rightly and the referee blew early, before the ball went in the net. When you look at it again, I agree with Chris (Sutton) on commentary, Maeda doesn’t have to go and make contact with the goalkeeper.”
The former Celtic boss emphasized that Maeda should have simply stood his ground, allowing the referee to award a free-kick against the goalkeeper. Lennon added, “He just needs to stand his ground and nine times out of 10 they’re given as a free-kick against the goalkeeper, whether us old yins think it’s soft or not. It’s the rules of the game.”
Lennon’s assessment was echoed by fellow pundit Chris Sutton, who concurred that the decision was correct but also expressed his opinion that goalkeepers are often “overprotected.” Sutton remarked, “I think Maeda interferes and he doesn’t need to. There’s not a lot in that at all, I think it’s weak goalkeeping. He doesn’t want to come for that.”
Celtic ultimately secured a 1-0 victory over Aberdeen, courtesy of Reo Hatate’s 78th-minute strike.
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