Friday morning’s Europa Conference League clash between Marseille and Qarabag delivered a stunning act of sportsmanship, as one player scored a goal with his hand and sparked eight minutes of mayhem on the pitch – before asking the referee to cancel his goal.
French heavyweights Olympique de Marseille were leading 1-0 (and 4-1 on aggregate) on the half-hour mark of the second leg of their round of 16 when Senegal striker Ibrahima Wadji kicked a ball into the goal. the Azerbaijani team.
Polish referee Bartosz Frankowski missed the handball, which came as Wadji faced the Marseille goalkeeper for a cross.
And Europe’s third-tier continental tournament – unlike the Champions League and Europa League – does not employ a video assistant referee (VAR) until the competition’s final.
The Marseille players were furious, with Arsenal midfielder on loan Matteo Guendouzi reportedly chasing his opponent down the pitch while repeatedly shouting: “You are a cheater.”
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The referee handed out a flurry of yellow cards to the furious Marseillais for their complaints and tried to restore order.
But Wadji went to speak with Qarabag coach Gurban Gurbanov and conceded the breach, before the player spoke to the referee who eventually overturned the decision – a good eight minutes after the goal had been awarded to the origin.
Marseille were infamously knocked out in the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1990 by Benfica striker Vata, who scored a goal now known as the ‘hand of the devil’ – a reference to the famous ‘hand of the devil’ goal. of God” by Diego Maradona.
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