In a dramatic Europa League encounter, Roma suffered a 1-0 defeat to Lille, a match highlighted by an unbelievable sequence of three missed penalties. Meanwhile, Celtic was left frustrated and "baffled" by a controversial VAR decision in their 2-0 loss to Braga.
At the Stadio Olimpico, Lille took an early lead in the 6th minute thanks to Hákon Arnar Haraldsson's angled shot. Roma's hopes of a comeback were then boosted when they were awarded a penalty in the 80th minute after a handball by Lille's Aissa Mandi. However, what followed was a scene of unprecedented drama. Artem Dovbyk stepped up to take the spot-kick, but his effort was saved by Lille goalkeeper Berke Özer. The referee ordered a retake due to encroachment by Özer. Dovbyk took the second penalty, and Özer saved it again, but again the referee ordered a retake due to encroachment. Roma then switched penalty takers, with Matías Soulé taking the third attempt, but Özer completed an incredible triple save, diving to his right to punch the ball away in the 85th minute. Roma's coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, expressed his disbelief, stating he had never seen three missed penalties in one match and that the "almost unique, random situation" ultimately cost them the result.
In Glasgow, Celtic's match against Braga was marred by a controversial VAR decision that disallowed a goal by Kelechi Iheanacho. Trailing 1-0 after Ricardo Horta's long-distance goal in the first half, Iheanacho found the net in the second half, only for VAR to intervene. The referee, Tobias Stieler, was overruled by the VAR team, who deemed that Iheanacho had handled the ball in the build-up to the goal.
Iheanacho and many others were stunned by the decision, with Iheanacho insisting the ball hit his face, not his hand. Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart, commentating on the match, was equally perplexed, stating that the replay clearly showed the ball coming off Iheanacho's head. Celtic hero Chris Sutton described the decision as "scandalous". Manager Brendan Rodgers said he couldn't understand why the goal was disallowed, stating it wasn't even close to being a handball. He also expressed his frustration that the referee wasn't asked to review the incident himself.
Leaked audio from the VAR room revealed that officials believed there was a "clear brush of the left arm". However, many argue that the footage did not clearly show a handball, leading to further criticism of the VAR decision. James McFadden, covering the game for BBC, said that it was a "baffling decision" and that "From every angle I've looked at, it comes off his forehead". The disallowed goal proved to be a turning point, with Braga scoring a second goal to secure a 2-0 victory, leaving Celtic winless in their Europa League campaign.
