‘The referee knows it wasn’t a handball’ - Iheanacho slams VAR decision for his disallowed goal

Celtic lost 2-0 to Braga at Parkhead on Thursday and are now without a win in their first two Europa League games.

The forward believed he had levelled the match five minutes into the second half. After collecting a loose ball, he lifted it over a defender and fired it past Braga goalkeeper Matheus.

However, German referee Tobias Stieler disallowed the goal, ruling that the ball had struck Iheanacho's arm during the build-up, with replays, however, showing the ball had actually hit his face.

Iheanacho has opened up on the VAR decision to his disallowed goal, calling it ‘awful’ as reported by The Sun UK.

"That was an awful decision from them," a furious Iheanacho said afterwards. "The ball didn’t hit my hand; it hit my face. It was an awful decision, and it changed the game. We could have been back in it."

"We are disappointed. I don’t know what they did there. The referee knows it wasn’t a handball. It changed the game, and hopefully, they can sort that out."

The disallowed goal would have been a historic moment for Iheanacho, who was making his fifth appearance and first full 90-minute match for the Scottish champions. 

According to UEFA, a goal would have made him the first Celtic player in 30 years to score in his first two European appearances for the club.