The referee had initially waved away penalty claims against Ola Aina but it was eventually awarded after VAR intervention
By Kehinde Okeowo
Fulham right-back, Ola Aina has expressed mixed feelings about the penalty awarded to Sudan by the centre referee in Saturday’s AFCON 2021 Group D game.
The 25-year-old conveyed his thoughts about the penalty during an interview with NFF TV, where he explained the circumstances that led to him giving away the spot-kick.
Super Eagles were cursing to a 3-0 win when the referee, Victor Gomes awarded a penalty after Ola Aina was judged to have tripped an opponent in the penalty box after Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervention.
The penalty which was converted by Sudanese midfielder Walieldin Khidir saw the Eagles lose their clean sheet in the tournament.
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Super Eagles defender, speaking about the spot-kick, A to NFF TV expressed reservation for the award of the spot-kick but also said he understood why the referee awarded it.
He expressed regret that the action led to the goalkeeper’s inability to keep a clean sheet, but was happy the team was led by 3-0 before it occurred.
Aina said: ”We gave away the clean sheet. It’s sad for the team, the defence and it’s sad for Madu (Okoye) because he’s been keeping a clean sheet.
“What happened was that I wasn’t looking at the player. Obviously,y I held his shirt a little bit but there’s a little bit of shirt holding in the box.
“I was just watching the ball I didn’t see when I stepped on his foot, but these things happen but luckily we were already 3-0 up. Even when they scored I still thought we were in control of the game so we are lucky for that.
“I understand why they gave it as a penalty but also the ball was nowhere near me or the guy. I don’t understand how it could be a penalty but in that same instance I understand why they gave the penalty because obviously what has been done.”
Super Eagles began their campaign at the 33rd edition of (AFCON) on a positive note, as they defeated seven-time champions Egypt by a lone goal and followed it up with a convincing 3-1 win over Sudan.
They topped Group D and have qualified for the knockout stages in the process even with the final group game against Guinea Bissau on Wednesday still outstanding.
